By Phil Coleman

Last updated at 09:13, Friday, 25 January 2013

A mobile scissor sharpener who fiddled £42,000 in benefits after claiming he was too ill to work has been told he must repay £10,000.

Jordan Miller

Jordan Miller, 26, appeared before a judge at Carlisle Crown Court, where prosecutor Rob Dudley said investigators had traced only £10,000 in assets belonging to the defendant.

Miller, who’s lived at Hadrian’s Camp, off Brampton Road, Carlisle, admitted benefit fraud at an earlier hearing.

If he fails to repay the cash within six months, he will face six months in jail.

The court was told then that Miller claimed he was unable to leave the house in case he suffered an epileptic fit but, over four years, he drove across the north west of England sharpening scissors for hairdressers.

He built up a “significant business” as he drove around in vehicles with a Mastersharp logo. Between August 2008 and April 2011 he cashed in cheques to the tune of £13,798 relating to that business.

Though he had originally made his benefits claim in good faith, he failed to tell the Department for Work & Pensions when his financial circumstances changed.

“It was a significant business he was engaged in while claiming benefits,” said judge Paul Batty QC at the previous hearing.

The court heard that Miller worked for both himself and for a company between April 2007 and April 2011 while also claiming income support and disability living allowance.

In court yesterday, Mr Dudley said the defendant had repaid £600 of the money.

His barrister told the court that Miller will have to sell a number of vehicles in order to raise the cash he needs to pay back the £10,000.

Earlier, Judge Batty spared Miller from a jail term because his pregnant wife and two children rely on him.

Miller’s deception came to light when it emerged that he had applied for a driving licence in which he said he was not suffering from epilepsy. Investigators from the DWP carried out covert surveillance on him and discovered he had had five vehicles registered in his name over the years.

The total amount overpayment was £42,060, made up from £28,269.47 in income support and £14,390.65 in disability living allowance, he said.

The court heard that Miller, who has two daughters aged three and 18 months and another child on the way, had shown remorse for his crimes.

He was given a nine month jail term suspended for two years for two offences of obtaining benefits by deception, and he must do 150 hours unpaid work and observe an overnight curfew for four months.

First published at 09:09, Friday, 25 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk