Couple made up 16 children in benefit fraud

Couple made up 16 children in benefit fraud

A man who claimed more than £75,000 in benefits by inventing 16 children who did not exist to fund his gambling addiction was jailed for 20 months yesterday.

David Wilshaw, 58, and partner Nancy Stevenson, 59, fabricated a huge family to milk the system for four years. The fraud began when Wilshaw applied for tax credits for two of Stevenson's children who did exist and nobody asked to see birth certificates or other proof. He went on to make up the names of 16 children and pocketed more than £400 a week for them between 2003 and 2007.

Bristol crown court heard Wilshaw spent up to £600 a week in betting shops and Stevenson drank at least two bottles of brandy a day.

Wilshaw, who masterminded the scheme, was sentenced to 20 months in prison after admitting 42 charges of fraud, two charges of handling stolen goods and obtaining property by deception.

Stevenson avoided jail because she had played a "lesser role" and Wilshaw had transferred just £9,000 of the money into her account. She admitted one charge of money laundering and a further charge of tax credit fraud and was given a 12-month supervised community order.

The court heard that Wilshaw would claim he was adopting or fostering the 16 children - despite living in a one bedroom flat. The couple were arrested in March after 12 Inland Revenue investigators swooped on their home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

Wilshaw, who had 85 previous convictions for.....continued below

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fraud, said after his arrest in March: "I'm doing a public service by identifying this massive loophole." He will appear in court again next month for a confiscation hearing.

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