Benefits cheat who took £78,000 claims she’s ‘unfit’ to do community service

Bradley Jolly for Metro.co.uk


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A benefits cheat who fleeced the taxpayer out of £78,000 claims she is ‘unfit’ to complete her community service.

Kathryn Leathard, 30, pretended to be a single mum for five years to get tax credits, income support, council tax benefit and housing benefit.

But authorities found her partner had actually been living with her and she admitted three benefit fraud charges in November last year.

The mum-of-three, of Prudhoe, Northumberland, was given a suspended 12-month jail term and ordered to do the 140 hours of unpaid work.

But Leathard is now trying to get that scrapped by claiming it’s ‘unworkable’ and she’s ‘been assessed as unfit for work’.

She failed to turn up to South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court on Monday as she was ‘too anxious’ but the hearing was told she’s launched an application to amend the requirements of a suspended sentence.

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Her exact reason remains unclear as she wasn’t present in court.

But the court clerk said: ‘She has contacted us to say she is too anxious to come to court.’

The case was adjourned until October 31, with a venue to be decided.

Leathard’s deceit was exposed last year after authorities found her partner’s Just Eat account was registered to her address.

Sentencing her, Judge Stephen Earl said: ‘Let’s be clear – this is public money you defrauded the Government and the public out of.’