A mother of three has been given a suspended jail sentence after defrauding the government of more than £120,000 in benefits over nearly 14 years. Casey Webb, 45, smirked as she left court on Tuesday after being handed a 32-month sentence, suspended for three years, for the sustained fraud.
Webb falsely claimed Housing Benefit and Universal Credit between November 2011 and March 2025. The Department for Work and Pensions stated she received £108,937 in Housing Benefit and £11,238 in Universal Credit. Her claims were supported by forged tenancy agreements and fake rent receipts, for which investigators found no evidence of actual rent payments. The landlord confirmed the documents were fabricated.
Webb initially denied two counts of fraud by false representation but later changed her plea. Her defense argued that the funds were not used for an extravagant lifestyle but primarily to provide for her children, mentioning "cinema visits or takeaways" as examples.
Recorder Edward Renvoize described the fraud as "serious, sustained and pre-meditated" but opted against immediate imprisonment, noting that Webb had come "perilously close" to jail time. He accepted that the money was not used for lavish spending but to provide a slightly better standard of living for her children. He also assessed Webb as posing a "low risk" of reoffending. In addition to the suspended sentence, Webb was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
Following the sentencing, Minister for Transformation Andrew Western issued a warning to those considering benefit fraud, stating that investigators are vigilant and will identify offenders. He urged the public to report any suspected cases of benefit fraud.