Casey Webb, 45, lit a cigarette outside Colchester Crown Court after receiving a suspended prison sentence for fraudulently claiming more than £120,000 in benefits. The mother-of-three admitted to spending the money on 'perhaps one too many cinema visits or takeaways' for her children.
Details of the Fraud
Webb, from Braintree Road in Terling, falsely claimed Housing Benefit totalling £108,937 and Universal Credit of £11,238 between November 2011 and March 2025. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revealed that she submitted counterfeit tenancy agreements and rent receipts to claim she was renting a separate annex from her parents' landlord. Investigators found no evidence she paid rent, and the landlord confirmed the documents were forged.
Court Proceedings
Recorder Edward Renvoize told Webb she 'may not realise just how close' she came to being incarcerated for the 'serious, sustained and pre-meditated' offence. He acknowledged the money 'was not used to fund a lavish lifestyle but to provide for your children a slightly better standard of living than they might otherwise have had'. Webb, who has no prior convictions, originally denied two counts of fraud by false representation before changing her pleas.
Defence barrister Dingle Clark said: 'It's always rather sad when someone aged 45 who has otherwise led a blameless life appears in the crown court for a serious matter. She has never had anything as serious as a parking ticket or road traffic matter before. Yet now she faces this serious matter.' He added that the money was 'mainly used to raise her children' and that she 'treated them perhaps to one too many cinema visits or takeaways, but miles away from the deliberate scheming to obtain benefits'.
Sentence and Reaction
Webb received a 32-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, along with 250 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She grinned as she left the court, embraced a loved one, and lit a cigarette.
Minister for Transformation Andrew Western 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.'
Recorder Renvoize assessed Webb as 'low risk' of reoffending, telling her: 'I'm persuaded that you are somebody who will not offend again.'
