A benefits cheat who claimed to need help getting dressed worked 40-hour weeks at a holiday park while fraudulently claiming over £26,000 in benefits, a court has heard.
Graham Gannon, 63, admitted to committing the fraud while carrying out labour-intensive tasks as a handyman at a holiday park in Norfolk. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) brought legal action against him following an anonymous tip-off.
False Claims of Severe Disability
An investigation found that Gannon carried out work including landscaping, drainage work, and fence and hedgerow maintenance while claiming that rheumatoid and osteoarthritis were severely limiting his mobility. He falsely claimed Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for over four years, beginning in March 2018, asserting that he could not get out of the bath, needed assistance getting dressed, and struggled to grip things.
Prosecutor Wendy Davidson said: "He failed to disclose that he had returned to work full-time. He worked on a caravan site and would do any heavy lifting on a good day."
Failure to Disclose Change in Circumstances
Gannon also failed to tell the DWP that he had stopped receiving injections to treat his arthritis, instead reporting that his capabilities remained severely limited, according to the Eastern Daily Press. In an interview under caution in November 2022, he admitted to not informing government officials about his physically demanding job.
Appearing at Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court this week, Gannon pleaded guilty to indicating a lack of capability on his PIP review forms and failing to notify the DWP of his change in circumstances and that his physical capabilities had improved.
Court Sentencing and Reaction
Presiding magistrate Geoffrey Dyett said: "It is really two extremes we are dealing with to a certain extent. You are a gentleman in your mid-60s and have gone through your life with an unblemished record with regards to crime and yet here we have an offence. You currently owe £26,324.65 and this has been accumulated over several years of receiving finances you weren't due to receive. Perhaps you thought you could still claim benefits while you were in work. The benefits you were claiming were not legal for you at the time."
Gannon was handed a 20-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay a victim surcharge and prosecution costs of £85.
Andrew Western, minister for transformation at the DWP, said: "The message is clear - don't think you can steal from hardworking taxpayers. Whatever your reasons for committing benefit fraud, know that our investigators are wise to every trick in the book and we will find you. And if you know somebody is fleecing the system, report it."
