Susan Hickenbotham, mother of world No. 43 snooker player Matthew Selt, is to be referred to authorities over alleged housing benefits fraud following a bitter legal dispute over a £620,000 family home.
Mrs Hickenbotham had claimed her children ganged up and forced her to sign the house in Romford over to them, but a judge dismissed her claim and instead found she and her daughter Claire Noble had created a sham tenancy to deceive the local authority.
Judge Simon Monty KC warned the family the case could end in "mutually assured destruction" and said none of the three women came out of it well. He said Mrs Hickenbotham's account of being reduced to tears and shouted at was made up, adding: "I regret to have concluded that Susan has made all of this up."
The court heard Mrs Hickenbotham had claimed social security and housing benefits since 1992. The judge concluded she had a 10 per cent share in the property but signed a deed freely, and that she had given Claire £96,000 intended for the mortgage which was not used for that purpose.
Judge Monty said: "I intend to report Susan and Claire to the appropriate authorities in relation to the apparent benefits fraud." He added that Matthew Selt and his other sister, Charlotte Hamblin, were not involved.
