Universal credit fraudster continued claiming DWP benefits while not living in the UK

Chandler was not eligible for the benefit as he was no longer living in the UK between March 2022 and January 2023, but continued to claim the benefit throughout that period.

He was sentenced at Southampton Magistrates' Court to a 12-month community order, requiring him to complete 10 rehabilitation activity days and 50 hours of unpaid work.

The case comes shortly after another high-profile benefits fraud conviction in which a woman was jailed after claiming to be housebound while secretly attending gym classes and competing in running races.

Helen Green, 49, was sentenced to seven months in prison at Shrewsbury Crown Court after fraudulently obtaining more than £25,000 in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by claiming severe rheumatoid arthritis and a slipped disc left her unable to leave her home.

The fraud came to light following a tip-off to the DWP's fraud hotline, with investigators uncovering security camera footage of Green attending high-energy fitness classes including Zumba, Body Combat, Spin and Core Blast sessions at her local gym.

She had also joined a running club and competed in 10k races, finishing one event in one hour and three minutes without the crutches she claimed were essential for basic mobility.

When Green attempted to explain her race time by saying she had walked the course, Judge Trevor Meegan dismissed the claim as "implausible in the extreme", saying her performance was "indicative of a high level of physical fitness".

CPS prosecutor Mandy Tobias said Green had carried out the fraud "for her own greed" and had "lined her pockets with fraudulently obtained money".

Minister for Transformation Andrew Western condemned the offending as "a slap in the face to taxpayers and the genuine claimants who depend on PIP to live their lives".

He concluded: "Let this be a warning — you can't outrun the DWP."

The two cases are part of a wider and growing problem.

Fraud and error across the benefits system currently stands at £9.3billion, excluding the state pension - a figure which has persisted for decades.

The DWP has held qualified accounts, meaning its financial figures cannot be fully verified, for 36 consecutive years, a situation the Public Accounts Committee recently said had been "accepted for far too long".

A DWP spokesman said the overall incorrect payment rate stood at 3.2 per cent, its lowest level since the Pandemic and pointed to new powers under the Fraud Act allowing the department to access bank data to identify incorrect payments.

He said: "We are determined to tackle fraud and error in the system.

"We've secured a number of high-profile recent convictions of people committing PIP and Universal Credit fraud - proof our sustained efforts are working."

Claimants are legally required to notify the DWP of any changes in their circumstances that may affect their eligibility, including leaving the country for an extended period or changes to their health or mobility.

Failure to do so can result in prosecution, with penalties ranging from repayment orders and community sentences to custodial sentences for the most serious offences.

The case is one of thousands pursued by the DWP every year as the government attempts to claw back billions of pounds lost to fraud and error across the welfare system.