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Mother and son in £11k Thai benefit fraud
Mar 18 2009 WalesOnline http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/03/18/mother-and-son-in-11k-thai-benefit-fraud-91466-23178953/An unemployed minibus driver went on an 18-month tour of Thailand funded by a benefits fraud amounting to more than £11,000, a court heard today.
Thomas Clancy, 31, of Loughor, Swansea, South Wales, even got married during the year-and-a-half-long trip.
His mother Sybil Lloyd, 56, of Pentre Nicholas Village, Llanelli, aided and abetted the fraud by transferring benefit cash to her son’s account in Thailand and sending him renewal forms already filled in for him to sign.Lloyd is a schoolteacher working in the Gorseinon area, near Swansea, but has been off work long term suffering stress brought on by the case, the court heard.
Both she and her son admitted three charges each connected to the benefits fraud today when they appeared at Swansea Magistrates Court.
Clancy admitted failing to inform the authorities of a change in his circumstances resulting from his move to Thailand between August 2005 and February 2007.
He had been claiming Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Allowance and Severe Disablement Allowance.
His mother admitted three offences of allowing or causing her son to fail to give prompt notification of a chance in circumstances.
John Allchurch, prosecuting, said Clancy had been interviewed under caution twice after his return to the UK in February 2007.
“He confirmed on both occasions that he had been living in Thailand and he confirmed he married whilst there.
“He said he moved around and had crossed the border into Cambodia at one point to renew his visa.â€
Mr Allchurch said that Clancy also admitted receiving benefits cash from the UK via his mother’s account and receiving benefit renewal forms already filled in by his mother ready to sign.
In total he dishonestly claimed £11,268 over the 18-month period, the court was told.
Simon Howell, mitigating, said that at its base the situation stemmed from “a very, very sad and difficult family backgroundâ€.
He said Lloyd’s husband had walked out in November 1995 leaving her with three young sons to bring up alone.
Tragedy struck soon after when Lloyd’s eldest son died of an asthma attack.
“It had a devastating effect on Thomas Clancy. Following the death of his brother he went completely off the rails and into a world of drug and alcohol addiction and mental illness,†Mr Howell said.
He said that it drove Clancy to self harm and suicide attempts and temper tantrums which saw him smash up a car and domestic electrical goods such as TVs and telephones.
He said that Lloyd had been fearful she would lose another son and had done everything possible to help him.
This included buying him a holiday chalet at nearby Limeslade to help him keep away from the drugs culture he had fallen into.
It was from this address that he had made the dishonest benefits claims.He said that when a friend invited him to visit in Thailand it had been encouraged by his mother who thought it would help his rehabilitation.
Once there he had planned to return to the UK on several occasions but had always changed his mind and remained for longer and eventually got married.
Mr Howell said that Clancy’s original benefits claim had been legitimate and he had never planned to make any fraudulent claims.
“Both defendants express genuine remorse and both acknowledge that they were entirely wrong and should not have allowed these claims to continue while Mr Clancy was in Thailand,†he said.
He added: “Ironically, the period in Thailand did him an enormous amount of good. When he returned he was far better.â€
He said on his return to the UK he was able to work for the first time in a long period and had got a job as a minibus driver.
Pressure caused by the impending court appearance, however, had seen him relapse into drug use and he had since lost the job.
The court heard today that Lloyd had repaid the full amount that had been fraudulently claimed since her son’s return.Lloyd, who has no previous convictions and handed in eight “glowing†character references, was ordered to pay £840 in fines and court costs.
Clancy was given a 12-months community order with supervision linked to support to help him stop abusing drugs.
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