An elderly woman has been sentenced to jail for fraudulent claiming of over £1 million in benefits, which she spent on vacations and nail treatments, despite falsely pretending to be disabled.
Christina Pomfrey, 65, from Runcorn in Cheshire, used false identities and claimed to have multiple sclerosis, blindness, and needed a wheelchair to swindle the money over a period of 15 years. She also utilized the names of unsuspecting relatives, including her own sister, to receive disability living allowance, carers allowance, and other state benefits.
Surveillance by investigators revealed her driving and going for a walk, despite her claims of vulnerability.
In Manchester Minshull Street crown court, she was sentenced to three years and eight months imprisonment for 34 counts including fraud, false accounting, and making or supplying articles for use in frauds.
Using two names – Christina Pomfrey and Christina Brown – she fraudulently claimed £1,010,090.66 in welfare benefits over almost 15 years.
At one point, she received more than £13,000 a month. She laundered £88,994.21 through her daughter’s bank account, Aimee Brown, who was given a suspended 18-month prison sentence for money laundering.
Both pleaded guilty to the offences earlier in March. George Ward, senior crown prosecutor of CPS Mersey Cheshire, expressed gratitude to the Department of Work and Pensions and Halton and Oldham councils for their assistance in the prosecution.
Despite admitting guilt and remorse to investigators in December 2017, Pomfrey continued to make dishonest benefit claims while on bail, as the court heard.
The judge, Sophie McKone, highlighted the severity of Pomfrey’s actions, stating that over 15 years, she stole £1 million from her fellow citizens, which could have been used for schools and hospitals.
McKone added, “This was a determined benefit fraud on a substantial scale. You claimed you spent money on others – whether or not that is true, you spent some money on holidays, beauty treatment, clothes, restaurant and hotels.”