A 65-year-old woman from Runcorn, Cheshire, has been sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for one of the largest social security frauds ever prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Christina Pomfrey fraudulently claimed over £1 million in welfare benefits over nearly 15 years by pretending to be blind and disabled.
Pomfrey used two names—Christina Pomfrey and Christina Brown—to claim £1,010,090.66 in benefits. At one point, she received more than £13,000 per month. However, surveillance by investigators showed her driving and going for a walk while reading a newspaper, contradicting her claims of blindness and reliance on a wheelchair.
She pleaded guilty to 34 counts, including fraud, false accounting, and making or supplying articles for use in frauds. Her daughter, Aimee Brown, 34, was given a suspended 18-month prison sentence for money laundering, having laundered £88,994.21 through her bank account.
Senior Crown Prosecutor George Ward described Pomfrey as a “shameless, serial fraudster” who defrauded a system meant to help the vulnerable. The court heard that despite admitting guilt in December 2017, she continued making dishonest benefit claims while on bail.
Sentencing, Judge Sophie McKone said Pomfrey had “grossly exaggerated” her disabilities and stolen £1 million from fellow citizens, money that could have gone to schools and hospitals. The judge noted Pomfrey’s traumatic childhood and abuse, which led to diagnoses of PTSD and dissociative disorder, but emphasised the scale and determination of the fraud.
