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| Woman jailed for faking son's illness to claim £85,000 in benefits | Woman jailed for faking son's illness to claim £85,000 in benefits |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A mother who shaved her young son's head and eyebrows and forced him to use a wheelchair to make it appear he was seriously ill so she could claim £85,000 in benefits has been jailed. | A mother who shaved her young son's head and eyebrows and forced him to use a wheelchair to make it appear he was seriously ill so she could claim £85,000 in benefits has been jailed. |
| The woman kept up the pretence for three years while the boy was aged between six and nine, sending him to school wearing a bandana and making him remain in his wheelchair, even though he was the butt of jokes among his classmates. | |
| She was given a new car to drive the boy around and was able to take him on holiday to Florida, where she made him use the wheelchair so they could jump to the front of queues. | |
| Gloucester crown court was told that the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had a personality disorder. But jailing her for three years and nine months, Judge Jamie Tabor QC said her behaviour amounted to cruelty over a long period of time and she had caused damage to her son who, like those around him, believed he was ill. | |
| He told the woman from Gloucestershire: "Your behaviour towards your son is quite beyond the pale. Over a long period of time you persuaded your little son and, through him, others, he was suffering from ALPS [a disorder of the immune system] and later cancer. | He told the woman from Gloucestershire: "Your behaviour towards your son is quite beyond the pale. Over a long period of time you persuaded your little son and, through him, others, he was suffering from ALPS [a disorder of the immune system] and later cancer. |
| "You shaved his head and paraded him in public as a victim of cancer. He was made to wear a bandana and was the butt of jokes from peers. You even stooped to put him in a wheelchair while on holiday in Florida so you could jump the queues at a theme park. | "You shaved his head and paraded him in public as a victim of cancer. He was made to wear a bandana and was the butt of jokes from peers. You even stooped to put him in a wheelchair while on holiday in Florida so you could jump the queues at a theme park. |
| "This was cruelty over a long period of time. I accept no physical injury was inflicted but you have caused undoubted long-term psychological harm to him. These were frauds from the outset over a long period of time and you gained financially to a great extent. I note there was a holiday in Florida and a brand new car was provided. This was a deliberate effort to extract as much money from the state as possible." | |
| The judge said the woman, who remained slumped in the dock throughout the hearing, was a "congenital liar". | The judge said the woman, who remained slumped in the dock throughout the hearing, was a "congenital liar". |
| "You have demonstrated an extraordinary lack of candour for a very large majority of your life. I have no doubt that there have been periods in your life when you have been unwell, but I also have no doubt that you have all but lost the ability to tell the truth. You are a congenital liar, nothing you can say can be accepted, everything you say or write has to be double-checked." | |
| The court heard that the woman forged doctors' notes and changed the boy's appearance to make it look as though he was taking medication. As well as claiming £85,899.44 in benefits, she was given a people carrier to help her transport her son. | The court heard that the woman forged doctors' notes and changed the boy's appearance to make it look as though he was taking medication. As well as claiming £85,899.44 in benefits, she was given a people carrier to help her transport her son. |
| She sent forged letters to the Department for Work and Pensions and the boy's school claiming he was suffering from ALPS and later lymphoma, a type of cancer. | |
| The woman was eventually found out when the boy's father became suspicious and went to his GP. She was arrested and admitted one count of child cruelty, eight counts of fraud and one of forgery. | The woman was eventually found out when the boy's father became suspicious and went to his GP. She was arrested and admitted one count of child cruelty, eight counts of fraud and one of forgery. |