 | Home > Off Topic > Instructor at Land Rover Experience Devon a Benefits Cheat |
 
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| Supacat Member Since: 16 Oct 2012 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 11018   
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http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Crip...story.html
"A supposedly crippled ex-soldier’s £50,000 benefit fiddle left him bunkered when investigators filmed him playing a 6,000-yard round of golf. Former parachutist Stephen Waller signed claim forms which said he could only walk 60 yards without suffering extreme pain, but checks showed he had taken part in golf tournaments all over Devon. The 66-year-old was a leading member of Honiton Golf Club and had also gone back to work as a specialist off-road Land Rover driving instructor without telling the authorities. Waller started receiving benefits in 1990 after suffering serious injuries in a parachute accident, claiming a total of £51,000 in Incapacity Benefit and Disability Living Allowance. He claimed to have the same mobility problems as a double amputee and failed to inform the Department of Work and Pensions when his condition improved over the next 25 years. Benefits investigators were tipped off that he was an active club golfer and filmed him secretly as he played a 6,000-yard round at Honiton Golf Club in March 2014, where he had been a member since joining in 1993. Checks showed he was a regular and successful player with a 14 handicap, and that he was a director of an adventure training company which he used to channel his earnings as an instructor at Land Rover Experience in Devon. He represented his club in competitions including the regional semi final of a Pro Am tournament sponsored by Virgin Atlantic at Saunton Golf Club in North Devon. Waller, 66, of Pine Park Road, Honiton, admitted dishonestly failing to notify and change in his circumstances to the DWP and was jailed for eight months, suspended for a year. He now faces confiscation proceedings to recover the money. Judge Justice Popplewell told him: “You claimed the higher rate of mobility allowance, for which the criteria was an almost total inability to walk but over the years your condition improved gradually. “An investigation in 2014 showed that for 10 years you had been mobile enough to play golf and that since April 2011 you had been supplementing your income by teaching people to drive Land Rovers. “I am able to suspend the sentence because you have been repaying the money since January 2015 at £220 a month and you propose to repay the entire amount through an equity release or the sale of the marital home, which is on the market.” James Taghdissian, prosecuting, said Waller told the DWP he could only walk 60 yards before suffering severe discomfort but was investigated after information was sent to the department. He said: “This led to observations in which he was seen a couple of times playing full rounds of golf and walking unaided around the 6,000 yard course. “He was observed playing shots, raking bunkers and teeing up the ball, and after three and a half hours was seen to load his bag and trolley into his car without any sign of discomfort or restriction of movement. “Inquiries at Honiton Golf Club showed he joined in 1993 and competition records showed he played regularly in recent years.” He was also found to be working for Land Rover Experience and to have set up a company to handle his earnings. Lee Bremridge, defending, said Waller is an ex-serviceman whose initial claims were the result of a genuine and serious injury.” He said he has put his home on the market so he can repay the money and is ashamed and remorseful. He said: “He had a long career as a military man, working and providing for his family.” Read more: http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Crip...z45VOY7qQc Follow us: @expressandecho on Twitter | expressecho on Facebook |
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11th Apr 2016 8:39am |
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