Casey Webb, a 45-year-old mother of three from Terling, has been spared prison despite admitting to scamming over £120,000 in Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits. Webb claimed Housing Benefit and Universal Credit fraudulently between November 2011 and March 2025, obtaining £108,937 and £11,238 respectively.
To secure the benefits, Webb submitted forged tenancy agreements and rent receipts, falsely asserting she was renting a separate annex from her parents' landlord. Investigations revealed no rent was paid, and the landlord confirmed the documents were counterfeit.
During sentencing, Recorder Edward Renvoize warned Webb of how close she came to imprisonment, labeling her offenses as “serious, sustained and pre-meditated.” Despite this, he accepted her claim that the stolen funds were used to provide “a slightly better standard of living” for her children, including what the court described as “one too many cinema visits or takeaways.”
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Defence lawyer Dingle Clark highlighted Webb’s previously blameless record, stating she had never faced anything more serious than minor traffic violations before this case. He emphasized that the fraud was not for luxury items but to support her family.
Webb received a 32-month prison sentence suspended for three years, along with 250 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity. Recorder Renvoize described her as a low risk for reoffending and expressed confidence she would not commit further crimes.
In response to the case, DWP official and Labour minister Andrew Western reiterated the crackdown on benefit fraud: “Our investigators are wise to every trick in the book, and we will find you. If you know someone abusing the system, report it.”