Father Loses Benefits After DWP Investigation
A Shropshire father who has only one leg has been stripped of his disability benefits and ordered to repay the government £36,000 after Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators filmed him playing cricket.
Shaun Rigby, 37, from Telford, lost his leg below the knee in a childhood tractor accident when he was just two years old. The married father-of-four has been receiving a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) since 2016 and was provided with a Motability car three years ago.
The Cricket Match That Changed Everything
Mr Rigby, a sheet metal worker, took up cricket at the age of seven and played twice a week for Allscott Heath CC. To participate, he required significant support, including the use of a runner when batting and an umpire to hold his crutch while he was in the field. He has also previously played for the England disabled cricket team.
However, the DWP launched an investigation into his claim. In August last year, he was interviewed under caution, and investigators used footage of him playing cricket as evidence against him.
As a result, the DWP axed his benefits of around £500 a month and took away his subsidised car. They ruled that his "daily needs" did not require the enhanced PIP payment or the vehicle.
‘My Leg Hasn’t Grown Back’
On Friday, November 28, Shaun received a letter demanding the repayment of £36,000. He expressed his despair, stating, "I don't know what we are going to do. I suppose I'll just have to do more work to pay it off."
He emphasised that his mobility has deteriorated over the years and that he takes a daily cocktail of prescription painkillers, including co-codamol, amitriptyline, and naproxen, to manage constant pain. He requires extra medication on days he plays cricket to make the activity tolerable.
"The days after I played cricket are quite bad," Shaun explained, "but I played for the social side of things, and my attitude to life is to try doing things I enjoy while I still can." He called the decision "unfair," pointing out that "just because I play cricket doesn't mean my leg has grown back."
After his Motability car was revoked, his mother and sister clubbed together to buy him a car, without which he says he would be unable to get to work.
Shaun now faces a difficult choice: wait up to 18 months for a tribunal to plead his case or find a way to repay the enormous sum. The stress of the prolonged situation has taken a significant toll on his wellbeing.
A DWP spokesperson stated that an independent tribunal had reviewed and agreed with their decision, reiterating that PIP is awarded based on how a condition impacts a person's day-to-day life, not the condition itself.
