A benefits cheat who hid her husband from officials has been given nearly 500 years to repay the money she obtained by fraud. Lesleyann McLean, 44, failed to inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was living with her husband while unlawfully claiming £27,908.
Court hears repayment plan
Perth Sheriff Court heard that the benefits agency is now recovering the funds from McLean's benefits at a rate of £5 a month. The 'overpayment' arrangement means the full amount will take more than 465 years to pay back, and won't be finished until McLean reaches 510 years of age.
McLean, from Affric Avenue, Scone, in Scotland, confessed that between 27 July 2020 and 4 November 2023, she failed to notify DWP of a significant change in her situation. She admitted to completing universal credit claim forms saying she was single and lived alone, when in reality she was living with Barry McLean, and obtained £27,908 which she was not eligible for.
Sheriff imposes curfew
Sheriff William Wood imposed a curfew on McLean for 12 months as a direct substitute for a custodial sentence. He said: "What is beyond doubt is that fraud of this kind affects all of us because it means there is more money for you that you are not entitled to - and less for the other people who are entitled to it. It could be used for other services or things the Government provides. There was a change of circumstances you ought to have told them about and you ignored that."
Defence cites personal circumstances
Solicitor Kirsty Watson, defending, told the court that her client was "not funding a lavish lifestyle" but was using the money to support her drug addict son's debts. She said: "She accepts this is a serious matter and the overpayment was £27,908. The offending continued from July 2020 to November 2023 and she does not seek to minimise the amount or duration. The claim was not fraudulent from the outset. She and her husband had separated. Once she made the universal credit claim the relationship resumed and she failed to notify DWP of that change."
Watson added: "The money was not funding a lavish lifestyle. It was largely used for household bills and ordinary living expenses. Her husband was working full-time, but she was carrying a disproportionate share of the household expenditure. There was further pressure from her adult son, struggling with drug addiction and debts, and she was giving money to him that she simply could not afford."
She said: "She is remorseful and recovery of the over-payment has commenced at £5 per month. That is modest and she accepts that. There was no sophistication, significant planning or abuse of trust involving others. I accept the duration of the offending is an aggravating factor. Against that is a completely clean record, remorse, significant health difficulties, financial pressure and domestic abuse. She is a first offender."
