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Mother who shaved son's head in cancer scam jailed | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A mother who shaved off her son's hair to pretend he had cancer has been jailed for three years and nine months. | |
The woman from Gloucestershire kept up the pretence for almost three years while the boy was aged six to eight in order to claim extra benefits, Gloucester Crown Court heard. | |
She admitted one count of child cruelty, eight counts of fraud and one of forgery by faking doctors' letters. | She admitted one count of child cruelty, eight counts of fraud and one of forgery by faking doctors' letters. |
The woman, who cannot be named, claimed disability and carer's allowances. | |
The woman even put her son in a wheelchair while on holiday in Florida so they could jump queues at a theme park, the court heard. | |
Jailing the 36-year-old, Judge Jamie Tabor said: "You shaved his head and paraded him in public as a victim of cancer. | |
"I have no doubt that there have been periods in your life when you have been unwell but also I have no doubt that you have all but lost the ability to tell the truth." | |
The court was told the woman shaved off her son's hair and eyebrows to mimic the effects of chemotherapy and claimed £85,899.44 in benefits. | |
These included disability living allowance and carers' allowance, as well as child tax credits claimed by falsely saying other children were living with her. |
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