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  "path": "/news/benefits-fraudster-universal-credit-dwp-uk",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-01T14:01:20.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "sentenced to seven months in prison",
    "Two US benefits fraudsters arrested after stealing more than $21MILLION from American taxpayers",
    "Sick notes 'scrapped' as part of new plans to reduce benefits claims and combat worklessness",
    "Benefits fraudster who raked in £25,000 caught out after running 10k",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nA universal credit fraudster continued claiming Department of Work and Pension benefits whilst not living in the UK.\n\nJeff Chandler, 48, of Willow Drive in Setchey, near King's Lynn, pleaded guilty to dishonestly failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of a change in his circumstances.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nChandler 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.\n\nHe 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.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe 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.\n\nHelen 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nShe 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.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWhen 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\".\n\nCPS prosecutor Mandy Tobias said Green had carried out the fraud \"for her own greed\" and had \"lined her pockets with fraudulently obtained money\".\n\nMinister 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\".\n\nHe concluded: \"Let this be a warning — you can't outrun the DWP.\"\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Two US benefits fraudsters arrested after stealing more than $21MILLION from American taxpayers\n  * Sick notes 'scrapped' as part of new plans to reduce benefits claims and combat worklessness\n  * Benefits fraudster who raked in £25,000 caught out after running 10k\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe two cases are part of a wider and growing problem.\n\nFraud and error across the benefits system currently stands at £9.3billion, excluding the state pension - a figure which has persisted for decades.\n\nThe 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\".\n\nA 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.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe said: \"We are determined to tackle fraud and error in the system.\n\n\"We've secured a number of high-profile recent convictions of people committing PIP and Universal Credit fraud - proof our sustained efforts are working.\"\n\nClaimants 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.\n\nFailure to do so can result in prosecution, with penalties ranging from repayment orders and community sentences to custodial sentences for the most serious offences.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe 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.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Universal credit fraudster continued claiming DWP benefits while not living in the UK"
}