24 replies to this topic

[None of the above]

Mother shaved off son's hair and eyebrows in cancer scam to claim £55,000 benefits.

A shameless mother shaved her son's head and EYEBROWS to fool officials into thinking he had cancer so she could claim £55,000 in benefits.

The woman, from the Stroud area of Gloucestershire, pretended her son was on chemotherapy for three years, starting when her son was four years old.

But now she is facing prison after she admitted child cruelty, fraud and forgery.

http://www.parentdis.../?ncid=webmail6

[Bling]

Unbelievable that anyone would go to such lengths, I hope the boy is permanently adopted by a family who deserve him.

[Kasey2601]

I have to wonder what is gained by putting her in prison. My solution: take the son from her (clearly they did), but then make her work to pay the scammed money and donate it to someone truly in need. Then maybe put her in prison.

[None of the above]

The can hardly be anyone who hasn't been touched by cancer in some way. Chances are that I'f you've made it to 30 you'll have known someone fairly close who'se been claimed by it.
And every parent knows how you worry about you kids getting ill.
To pretend your own son has cancer to get beneits is just horrible.

But that little kid won't blame her, she's his mum and now he might lose her.
He's the biggest victim here and he's going to suffer whatever punishment she gets alongside her.

[Grey14]

What I have to wonder is how did she get the benefits without any knid of diagnosis? What do the benefit guys just take your word and a handshake as proof for that? Geez talk about rose colored glasses

[None of the above]

Grey14, on 04 October 2012 - 08:55 PM, said:

What I have to wonder is how did she get the benefits without any knid of diagnosis? What do the benefit guys just take your word and a handshake as proof for that? Geez talk about rose colored glasses

I agree but imagine the bad publicity if the benefits office was percieved to be being 'overzealous' by making a child cancer victim prove he was actually ill?

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

See, if it was something like Muchaussen By Proxy then we'd be feeling sorry for everyone involved, but this is just greed.

[schizoidwoman]

That's appalling, how horrible.

[ExpandMyMind]

This was around 5 years ago and would never happen now. It is almost impossible to claim Employment and Support Allowance since the government brought Atos into the fold. Actually, there are thousands of legitimate claims for this benefit that are now dismissed, almost out of hand, resulting in thousands of people and families living at or near the poverty lines. Panorama and Dispatches have done some enlightening documentaries on the subject.

http://www.dailyreco...s-admit-1344278

The mother here should be jailed and steralised.

[Eldorado]

I

Lady Kasey, on 04 October 2012 - 08:15 PM, said:

I have to wonder what is gained by putting her in prison. My solution: take the son from her (clearly they did), but then make her work to pay the scammed money and donate it to someone truly in need. Then maybe put her in prison.

I've never understood why people who are found guilty of fraud, or theft, are never made to pay back the amount they stole on top of whatever punishment the courts decide.  They may not be able to but they can at least be forced to pay a little per month. Forever if need be.  A reminder that stealing is bad and the rest of us ain't mugs.

[Grey14]

Atlantia, on 04 October 2012 - 09:05 PM, said:

I agree but imagine the bad publicity if the benefits office was percieved to be being 'overzealous' by making a child cancer victim prove he was actually ill?

And I would agree with you. However common sense says that you should at least be required to have a diagnosis from your doctor.

[Eldorado]

ExpandMyMind, on 05 October 2012 - 11:49 AM, said:

This was around 5 years ago and would never happen now. It is almost impossible to claim Employment and Support Allowance since the government brought Atos into the fold. Actually, there are thousands of legitimate claims for this benefit that are now dismissed, almost out of hand, resulting in thousands of people and families living at or near the poverty lines. Panorama and Dispatches have done some enlightening documentaries on the subject.

You may find this interesting, my friend.  I doubt you'll be surprised though.
"Pressure is growing on the Government to disclose the full extent of fraud and misconduct within the back-to-work industry after it emerged that more than 100 cases of alleged wrongdoing at providers, besides crisis-hit A4e, had been investigated in the past six years."
http://www.telegraph...aud-claims.html

The "Establishment" is rotten to the core.

[ExpandMyMind]

Atlantia, on 04 October 2012 - 09:05 PM, said:

I agree but imagine the bad publicity if the benefits office was percieved to be being 'overzealous' by making a child cancer victim prove he was actually ill?

You should check it out now. You don't get benefit for terminal cancer unless you're on a certain kind of chemo. You have to work (or at least not recieve ESA) until your dying day if you are able to even simply push a button with one finger. This is all Atos say you need to find a job. One working finger that is capable of pushing a button, then you're thrown away and left to find a job. I'm unsure of how many button pushing jobs there are out there?

For further reading (and watching if you can find the video to go with the article online): http://www.channel4....eporter-feature



Eldorado - I agree totally. Our entire system is ruined.

[None of the above]

Grey14, on 05 October 2012 - 12:22 PM, said:

And I would agree with you. However common sense says that you should at least be required to have a diagnosis from your doctor.

I assumed that she had some forged documents?

[Mr Right Wing]

Atlantia, on 05 October 2012 - 06:08 PM, said:

I assumed that she had some forged documents?

Easy to pull off -
1. A woman takes her sick child to hospital where cancer is diagnosed.
2. She starts claiming benefits for it.
3. A friend living in another town borrows the child as their own, gets a seperate cancer diagnosis, then claims benefits too.
4. So long as people live in different areas using different hospitals the child can be reused several times.