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Ex-soldier jailed for disability benefits fraud after Kilimanjaro climb Ex-soldier jailed for disability benefits fraud after Kilimanjaro climb
(about 3 hours later)
A former soldier who climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and won a triathlon while fraudulently claiming thousands of pounds in disability benefits has been jailed. A former paratrooper who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and won a triathlon while fraudulently claiming thousands of pounds in disability benefit has been jailed.
Mark Lloyd also competed in the Phoenix Winter Games and took part in the World Powerboat Championships in Malta while receiving personal independence payments (PIP) from October 2014 to February 2016. Mark Lloyd – who was dubbed Action Man Mark – also took part in a skiing challenge in the Alps, a speedboat championship in the Mediterranean, a long-distance canoeing event, and even went wing-walking.
The 33-year-old told benefits assessors he had severe restrictions to his mobility and ability to care for himself after suffering a back injury and post-traumatic stress disorder while serving in the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan, but was found to have overstated his needs. Lloyd, 33, told benefit assessors he would be bedridden for a day if he walked more than 50 metres (164ft) after suffering a back injury while serving with the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan.
After a trial at Merthyr magistrates court he was found guilty of dishonestly failing to disclose information to make a gain for himself. The court was told Lloyd was medically discharged from the army and had been diagnosed as having post-traumatic stress disorder, but exaggerated his physical condition to claim personal independence payments (PIP) totalling more than £6,000.
On Thursday, the district judge Martin Brown said the claims were “completely and utterly fanciful”. He was found guilty at Merthyr magistrates court in south Wales of dishonestly failing to disclose information to make a gain for himself.
Sentencing Lloyd, from Pontypridd in south Wales, to 20 weeks in prison, he said: “You have blatantly lied to this court throughout and I hope that you will reflect on that throughout your sentence.” On Thursday, district judge Martin Brown said the claims were “completely and utterly fanciful”.
Sentencing Lloyd, from Pontypridd, south Wales, to 20 weeks in prison, the judge said: “You have blatantly lied to this court throughout and I hope that you will reflect on that throughout your sentence. You exaggerated grossly the situation that you were in. You claimed you could barely walk or use the toilet and took an hour to prepare a cold meal.
“You served your country well and were medically discharged and then entered a number of events, publicly proclaiming what you were doing.”
The court was shown images of Lloyd posing with a guide during his five-day trek to the summit of the highest mountain in Africa. Also exhibited were photos of Lloyd taken during a triathlon in September 2015, which he won.
He took part in the world powerboat championships in Malta with Team Endeavour Racing, which is made up of military veterans.
During a skiing trip to La Plagne in the Alps he was given two awards in the Phoenix Winter Games for ex-servicemen.
His skiing exploits were written about on the Wales Homes for Veterans website, under the headline “Action Man Mark”. Lloyd also completed a 125-mile canoe race.
Chris Evans, prosecuting, said: “You’d be forgiven for thinking this was two different people from hearing about his condition and how it affected his day-to-day life, and then hearing about the type of activities he was undertaking.
“He set out in his claim forms he needs a walking aid and on a bad day he can’t bend and reach his knees.
“He said he can only walk between 20 and 50 metres, can’t walk on uneven ground, suffers pain when walking long distances and needs to sit down every 20 minutes. That does not tally up with the activities he was undertaking.”
Evans added: “The case is not whether he has an injury or not, but if he exaggerated his condition to claim money.”
James Harris, representing LLoyd, claimed he had simply been able to push through the pain barrier because of his training in the army. He said he had started to repay the money he had claimed.
Harris said: “He does suffer from a back injury and PTSD following his service in Afghanistan.” Harris added that his client still had mental and physical problems and was due in hospital for a scan in relation to a lump and for surgery on his back.
His fraud conviction meant Lloyd was in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for a road rage incident. The judge activated eight weeks of the previous suspended sentence, but ordered that to be served concurrently with the 20 weeks for fraud. He also ordered Lloyd to pay £620 in costs.
Outside court, Laura Walters, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Mark Lloyd flouted the system to claim thousands of pounds of disability benefits, all the while taking part in tough physical challenges.
“Lloyd vastly overstated his care needs in order to claim the cash, but he could not hide from the overwhelming evidence put forward by the prosecution, including photos of his participation in a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro and his participation in a triathlon.”