Woman's massive fine after falsely claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for six years

A woman has been slapped with a £30,000 fine after a court found she had falsely claimed benefits for six years.

Maxine Davis, 66, from Newtownabbey, appeared at Laganside Crown Court on Tuesday, where she was convicted of six charges of fraudulently claiming Jobseeker's Allowance between July 2017 and January 2023. A Department for Communities investigation revealed she had wrongly received more than £29,000 in benefits she was not entitled to.

As part of her sentence, Davis was fined £30,0000, which the Department confirmed she had repaid in full, Belfast Live reports. A DfC spokesperson said: "Suspected benefit fraud can be reported to the Department for Communities anonymously."

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It comes as a jet-setting divorcee dubbed "Miss Holiday" by her pals dodged jail despite pocketing more than £40,000 in Universal Credit while while secretly hoarding thousands in savings.

Susan Pearson, 58, from Platt Bridge in Wigan, claimed she had no money but held over £40,000 across two accounts. She also secured a £500 reduction on her council tax.

While falsely claiming benefits, she posted online about trips to Tunisia, Cyprus, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife and a Mediterranean cruise. In one post, she joked: "About time - not had a holiday since last week." Friends teased she had "more air miles than Air Force One".

Welfare officials began investigating Pearson after a tip-off revealed undeclared savings with Nationwide and a Co-Funds pension account. Records showed she withdrew £13,000 in a single month.

When challenged, Pearson said she had spent some of the money on windows and roof repairs - but her holiday pictures painted a different picture.

At Bolton Crown Court, she admitted two charges of dishonestly failing to disclose information and was ordered by a judge to use all of her savings to pay the benefits back.

She had faced up to two years jail under sentencing guidelines. She broke down and wept when told she would go free. The maximum capital limit for those claiming Universal Credit is £16,000.

Pearson was overpaid £40,334.21 in Universal Credit, the court heard. The total amount she got off her council tax was £536.22. She is currently legitimately claiming £55 a week in carer's allowance to help her look after her 83-year-old mother.