A benefit cheat was secretly making extra cash by flogging items on eBay during a three-year £30,000 swindle.
Mother-of-two Cilen Gurzap, 41, will repay by having her current benefits deducted by £42 per fortnight - meaning it will take nearly twenty-eight years to compensate taxpayers.
The Turkish single-parent, of Batsford House, Durnsford Road, Wimbledon received a suspended prison sentence.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of dishonestly failing to notify a change of circumstances to Merton Council and the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) between December 16, 2013 and February 26, last year.
Wimbledon Magistrates Court heard Gurzap obtained £23,686 in Housing Benefit and £6,873 in Income Support while the undeclared money was going into her bank account.
Prosecutor Ms Caroline Mungal told the court Gurzap claimed to be the sole carer of her mother, leaving her unable to work, even though both her parents reside together.
“She failed to declare to the DWP that she was in receipt of self-employed income and she questioned initially denied the additional income.”
Her online business resulted in a second prosecution last year, with Gurzap being conditionally discharged for dishonestly handling a stolen jewellery box.
Gurzap denies she was “self-employed” but admits not declaring sums paid into her account by her father and eBay customers.
This was the same bank account into which her benefits were paid.
She was employed in the travel industry, but quit due to child care costs for her boys, now aged 12 and 14 years-old.
Magistrate Sarah Brown told Gurzap: “These two offences are very serious. It is a serious act of dishonesty that went on for a long period of time.”
Gurzap was sentenced to twenty-four weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and ordered to complete 150 hours community service.
“It was a deliberate act that took money from the public purse,” added the magistrate, also ordering her to pay £85 costs and a £115 victim surcharge.
No comments:
Post a Comment