No jail for benefits cheat (From Brentwood Weekly News)

No jail for benefits cheat

7:00am Monday 8th February 2010

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A BENEFITS cheat who swindled more than £25,000 in hand-outs has avoided jail.

Marc Bangs, 44, of Woodland Avenue, Hutton, falsely claimed benefits for four years despite holding down a steady job as a tarmacer, Basildon Crown Court heard.

He claimed £17,000 in housing benefits, £3,000 in council tax benefits, and £5,000 in income support between July 2003 and July 2007.

Recorder Robert Glancy said: “You showed complete disregard to the rest of the public by claiming benefits.”

Recorder Glancy said he was minded to send Bangs to prison, before he heard a glowing testimony from his probation worker, Allen Murray.

Mr Murray told the hearing Bangs had worked very hard to tackle his literacy problems and was a good father to his 14-year-old son.

Mr Murray said: “He now has a settled home life and has tackled a former drink problem.”

Bangs, who has been signed off from work with a back problem, has now started to pay back the benefits at the rate of £20 a week.

He admitted two counts of dishonestly making false representation to obtain benefits, and one count of failing to notify a change of circumstances, at a hearing last month.

He was given concurrent nine-month prison sentences for each of the offences, and told they would be suspended for two years.

He was given a separate community order for falsely claiming income support when he appeared at Basildon Magistrates’ Court in July last year.

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