A woman who claimed she was housebound and unable to walk without crutches has been jailed after being caught on CCTV taking part in Zumba and body pump classes. Helen Green, 49, fraudulently claimed over £25,000 in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) between January 2020 and March 2023.
Green told the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis and a slipped disc, leaving her unable to walk for more than five minutes. She also claimed she needed help with washing, bathing, dressing, and preparing meals.
However, a tip-off led to a DWP investigation that revealed Green was a member of a running club and had completed 10k races, one in just over an hour. CCTV footage also showed her attending gym classes including Zumba, body combat, and spin.
Green pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify a change in circumstances and was sentenced to seven months in prison at Shrewsbury Crown Court. Mandy Tobias from the Crown Prosecution Service said Green 'pretended she had limited movement, but instead was a regular runner and active in gym classes'.
Minister for Transformation Andrew Western called her deception a 'slap in the face to taxpayers' and those who genuinely rely on PIP.
