A woman who claimed she could barely walk has been exposed as a benefit cheat after being filmed running 10k races and attending Zumba classes.
The Fraud
Helen Green, 49, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, received more than £25,000 in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) between January 2020 and March 2023. She told the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis in every joint and a slipped disc, leaving her housebound and reliant on crutches.
Green claimed her arthritis was a lifelong condition that would progressively worsen, stating she could not walk for more than five minutes without crutches. She also asserted she needed help with washing, bathing, dressing, preparing meals, eating, and drinking.
The Investigation
Following a tip-off to the DWP fraud line, investigators discovered that Green was a member of a running club and competed in 10k races, completing one in one hour and three minutes. CCTV footage also captured her regularly attending the gym, participating in Zumba, body combat, body pump, core blast, and spin classes.
The DWP initially accused Green of falsely claiming £42,013 in PIP. However, she pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify a change in circumstances regarding an amended amount of £25,244 between January 2020 and March 2023, which was accepted by the Crown.
Sentencing
Green was sentenced to seven months in prison at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Tuesday.
Mandy Tobias from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Helen Green pretended she had limited movement, but instead was a regular runner and active in gym classes. She did this for her own greed and lined her pockets with fraudulently obtained money.”
Minister for Transformation Andrew Western described Green’s deception as a “slap in the face to taxpayers” and those who genuinely depend on PIP. He added: “Helen Green wasn’t just burning calories at the gym, she was also peddling lies and our investigators caught up with her. Let this be a warning – you can’t outrun the DWP.”
