Social worker illegally claimed £44,000 benefits (From Oxford Mail)

Social worker illegally claimed £44,000 benefits

6:54pm Friday 19th December 2008

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A social worker fraudulently claimed more than £44,000 in benefits over seven years, a court was told today.

Yarrow Davies, 30, a single mother, admitted claiming thousands of pounds in income support and council tax benefits which she was not entitled to, from the Department of Work and Pensions and Oxford City Council.

Andrew Evans, prosecuting, told Oxford Crown Court that Davies, of Percy Street, East Oxford, was caught out after receiving grant cheques while taking a social work course at Ruskin College between 2005 and last year.

Investigations revealed she failed to declare her income support and council tax benefits to the college, and it was found she had an undeclared bank account, where she was receiving £1,000 a month from her father, Mr Evans added.

In total, Davies had falsely claimed £44,725 from 2000 to 2007.

Jennifer Edwards, defending, said: “She didn’t face up to reality and buried her head in the sand.

“She wasn’t decking herself in jewellery and driving round in flashy cars, she was trying to bring up her two children.”

The benefits have since been paid back by Davies’s father, Ms Edwards added.

Davies has been suspended from her job as a social worker with Oxfordshire County Council.

Judge Julian Hall sentenced her to nine months in prison, suspended for a year, and ordered her to carry out 150 hours of community service.

He urged her employer not to dismiss her.

mwilkinson@oxfordmail.co.uk

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