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 falsely claimed over £1 million in benefits over nearly 15 years by pretending to be blind and wheelchair-bound.
Surveillance by investigators revealed Pomfrey driving and walking while reading a newspaper, contradicting her claims of severe disability. Using the aliases Christina Pomfrey and Christina Brown, she fraudulently obtained £1,010,090.66 in welfare benefits, at one point receiving more than £13,000 per month.
Pomfrey pleaded guilty to 34 counts including fraud, false accounting, and making or supplying articles for use in frauds. Her daughter, Aimee Brown, 34, received a suspended 18-month prison sentence for money laundering after laundering £88,994.21 through her bank account over six years.
Senior Crown Prosecutor George Ward of CPS Mersey Cheshire described Pomfrey as a 'shameless, serial fraudster' who systematically defrauded a system intended for the most vulnerable. The court heard that despite expressing remorse in 2017, she continued making dishonest claims while on bail.
Sentencing, Judge Sophie McKone stated Pomfrey grossly exaggerated her disabilities, stealing £1m from fellow citizens over 15 years. The judge noted that while Pomfrey had a traumatic childhood and was diagnosed with PTSD and dissociative disorder, the fraud was determined and on a substantial scale, with money spent on holidays, beauty treatments, and restaurants.
