Benefit cheat has £6279 confiscated after lying she was a single parent

Confiscated: Susan Jeffrey has been ordered to pay back £6279.© Deadline

A woman who lied to falsely claim benefit payments has had £6279 confiscated.

Susan Jeffrey, 37, from Edinburgh pled guilty to benefit fraud in February and was sentenced to 240 hours of community service for lying about her circumstances.

She said she was a single, unemployed parent but was in fact living with her partner Craig Sime who was fully employed between July 2005 and March 2010 when the offence took place.

The couple were married but this was never declared.

Lindsey Miller, head of the Serious and Organised Crime Division (SOCD) and the current POCA champion, said: "Many people see this as an easy way to make money, but they should be aware that they will not only be prosecuted for the offence, but will also find themselves subject to the Proceeds of Crime Act."

Ms Jeffrey was ordered to pay back the amount that she unlawfully took at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.

This sum will be added to the £44m already retrieved and re-invested in the CashBack for Communities scheme for the benefit of young people.

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