Richmond resident prosecuted for council tax fraud

14 March 2019

A fraudster who took more than £1500 in council tax support he wasn’t entitled to was successfully prosecuted this week.

Following an investigation carried out by Veritau on behalf of Richmondshire District Council the fraudster was ordered to repay the cash – and undertake unpaid work.

He claimed Council Tax Reduction (a means tested reduction based on household income) for a number of years. An investigation into his claim was conducted by Veritau, following information that he had carried out several periods of paid employment which he failed to disclose.

He failed to attend court on a number of occasions but finally attended Northallerton Magistrates Court this week (March 11) where he pleaded guilty to all charges. He had been awarded £1,574.88 in Council Tax Reduction which he was not entitled to.

He was sentenced to a 12 month Community Order with 80 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay compensation of £1,574.88 to Richmondshire District Council.

Richmondshire District Council spokesperson, Councillor Bill Glover said: “This is another good result in the fight on fraud against the public purse with what has been a protracted fraud. It shows that ultimately dishonesty does not pay.”

We encourage anyone with any information on fraudulent activity to phone the fraud hotline on 0800 9179 247 or email [email protected]