Woman Who Claimed More Than £40,000 In Benefits Avoids Jail After Judge Reveals What She Failed To Tell The DWP

Jeanette Griffin has been convicted after fraudulently claiming more than £40,000 in benefits by failing to tell authorities that her financial situation had changed after receiving an inheritance from her grandmother.

The 46-year-old, from Chellaston, continued receiving benefits for years without informing the authorities that she had inherited money and held funds in four different bank accounts. Investigators later uncovered the undeclared assets, leading to a fraud investigation.

Derby Crown Court heard that Griffin first began claiming benefits in 2005. At the time, she told officials she was a single parent and agreed that she would report any change in her financial circumstances to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). However, prosecutors said she failed to do so after receiving money from her grandmother’s estate.

Prosecutor Clarkson Baptiste told the court that evidence showed Griffin had not declared the inheritance, despite it affecting her entitlement to benefits. The hidden funds remained in several bank accounts while she continued receiving financial support from the state.

As a result, she wrongly received £5,265.27 in Income Support between July 28, 2017, and August 7, 2020. She also received £31,689.39 in Housing Benefit and £3,643.47 in Council Tax Support between July 31, 2017, and January 15, 2024.

In total, the court heard that Griffin had been overpaid £40,598.13 from public funds.

When confronted with the evidence, Griffin admitted the offence and pleaded guilty to failing to notify the authorities about a change in circumstances affecting her benefit claims.

During sentencing, Judge Shaun Smith described the case as a serious fraud against the public purse. He said Griffin had continued the deception for a long period and had wrongly received a substantial amount of taxpayers’ money simply because she failed to tell the DWP that her financial position had changed.

Addressing Griffin directly, the judge said she believed she would get away with the fraud but did not. He noted that once she realised investigators had uncovered the truth, she accepted responsibility and admitted that “the game was up.”

Despite the seriousness of the offence, Griffin avoided immediate imprisonment. The judge explained that under current sentencing guidelines, prison sentences of 12 months or less are normally suspended unless there are exceptional circumstances. As a result, she was given an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

The court also ordered Griffin to complete 15 rehabilitation sessions with the probation service as part of her suspended sentence.

She is due to return to court later this year for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, where judges will consider whether any of the money obtained through the fraud can be recovered. If assets linked to the offence are identified, Griffin could be ordered to repay some or all of the money she unlawfully received.