A DENTAL nurse from Hyde who scrounged more than £10,000 in welfare handouts by claiming she struggled to walk was caught competing in a series of marathons.
Karen Phillips, 47, pocketed Personal Independence Payments (PIP) after saying her condition meant she needed help around the house and could only walk 70 metres.
But investigators caught her on surveillance cameras taking part in various events including the 26.2-mile Manchester Marathon, the 13.1-mile Stockport Half Marathon and the Salford 10K. She was also seen carrying heavy bags.
Phillips, of Bayleyfield, was later quizzed about her claims and admitted her medical condition had improved following new treatments. In all she filched £10,991.14 over a two-and-a-half-year period.
At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, the mother of two admitted failing to disclose a change in circumstances and was sentenced to a 12-month community order. She has now taken out a loan to pay the money back.
Clare Thomas, prosecuting, told the hearing: “She suffers from anxiety, depression and arthritis and underwent surgery. It appears she has had life stresses and marriage difficulties and her father is in palliative care.
“She accepts that she failed to contact the DWP and that she was dishonest.
“She has had chemotherapy injections and it is this that has improved her ability despite her worsening condition.
“In 2017, she said she was suffering from arthritis and said had pains in her arms and in her neck and in her application form said her two children have to help her in the kitchen and with ordinary day-to-day tasks.
“She said she tended not to go out because she struggled to walk and has severe anxiety. She had a medical assessment and was awarded standard PIP payments.
“She said from Nov 11, 2017, her condition deteriorated and her children had to help her dress properly and cut up her food.
“She said was consistently limping and said she could only walk about 70 metres and was awarded an enhanced rate from October 20, 2017 and January 11, 2021
“However, she took part in a number of races. In 2017 she completed the Manchester Half Marathon and then the Great Manchester Marathon in 2019.
“In January 2019, she completed the Salford 10K and later the Stockport Half Marathon. The DWP put her under surveillance and the defendant was seen competing in races and carrying heavy bags.
“When questioned she said she had been having chemotherapy injections and she said her medication had changed.
“She accepted she did not report the improvement in her condition and admitted to taking part in the runs.’’
Rebecca Louise Penfold, defending, said: “This is a woman who appears before the court for the first time in her life.
“This is a condition that can fluctuate and having taken advice from professional medical, she carried on exercising to improve her mental health.
“She raised more than £1,000 for a charity in one of her races. Her condition has worsened because of the level of running she is doing. Her bones are starting to break. This is a lady that is only going to worsen.
“She works as a dental nurse and if a custodial sentence was imposed her career would be over.
She has two young adult children and they are both involved. They are tragically upset by what has happened.
“She herself is a carer for her mother. She does not claim a carer’s allowance and her mother is not eligible and they have to care for her by herself. She sees her mother in the morning before work, in the afternoon on her lunch break and after work. Her two children are reliant on her mother.’’
Phillips was also ordered to be electronically tagged and was made subject of a three-month curfew from 8pm-7am.
Judge John Edwards said: “You indulged in a sustained and deceitful act for the best part of two-and- a-half-years.
“You completely undermined the integrity of people who make honest claims, who do not resort to dishonesty. What you have done is extremely selfish.
“That said, it would be wrong of me to compound more misery on you by sending you to prison. I hope you learn from your mistakes and I hope you will be able to continue your career after this period of time.’’
After the case, a DWP spokesperson said: “Only a small minority of benefit claimants are dishonest and attempt to cheat the system, diverting taxpayers’ money from the people who need it.
“We are determined to catch those we suspect of fraudulently claiming benefits by following up on tip-offs, undertaking surveillance and working with local councils.”