Birmingham Mother Receives Suspended Sentence for Benefit Overpayments
A 38-year-old mother of eight from Birmingham has received a 12-week suspended sentence for 12 months after unlawfully claiming more than £13,000 in Universal Credit for children no longer in her care. Carla Hunt also obtained £1,000 in Carer’s Allowance to which she was not entitled. She explained to authorities that she forgot to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about the change in her living situation. Hunt expressed remorse for her actions and has begun repaying the overclaimed amounts.
The case unfolded at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on January 30, where Hunt became emotional upon hearing her sentence. Following a trial conducted in her absence the previous year, she was convicted on two counts of dishonestly failing to report changes in circumstances that affected her benefit eligibility.
Details of the Overclaims
Prosecutor Savithru Wijeratne outlined to the court that Hunt had been receiving Universal Credit for her eight children starting from November 2021, along with Carer’s Allowance for one son from January of that year. He noted that evidence showed she did not inform Universal Credit about her children being removed from her care between January 6, 2022, and June 6, 2022.
Mr. Wijeratne further explained that Hunt was arrested and interviewed in March 2023. During the interview, she cited reasons such as the matter slipping her mind, difficulties accessing her Universal Credit journal, and advice from a social worker to withhold notification, believing the removal was temporary pending court proceedings.
The overpayments totaled £1,254.60 for Carer’s Allowance from May to October 2022 and £13,487.96 for Universal Credit from January 2022 to January 2023. Hunt has agreed to a repayment plan to address these amounts.
Defense Arguments and Personal Background
Defending solicitor Peter Ricketts highlighted Hunt’s history of long-term domestic abuse, as well as challenges with mental health and learning difficulties that impacted her ability to handle official paperwork. He described her early life struggles, including becoming pregnant young and leaving school without completing exams.
Mr. Ricketts stressed that the initial benefit claims were valid and that Hunt believed her children would return soon. He added that she used some of the funds to improve her home in hopes of facilitating their return, though this did not occur. The solicitor maintained that there was no deliberate intent to deceive the DWP and noted Hunt’s clean criminal record.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Hunt must complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities and pay a £154 victim surcharge.
Court’s Decision
The Chair of the Bench addressed Hunt directly, stating: “We have thought long and hard about this today. We are not going to lecture you; you know what you did was wrong. We are going to suspend the prison sentence. Keep your nose clean, keep out of trouble, and you won’t go to prison.”
