Benefit cheat's lies exposed by her own Facebook posts
A benefits cheat who lied about her MS battle to claim more than £20,000 was caught out by her own running posts on Facebook.
Sara Morris, 50, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005, and in 2020 claimed that the severity of her disease had left her unable to stand at the cooker.
The mother-of-three also claimed she lacked balance and experienced difficulties in getting out of the bath unassisted.
Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard she was paid £2,292.63 a month in Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and told the Department for Work and Pensions she was anxious about leaving the house, with even a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication leaving her in tears.
But she failed to mention that she was a member of the Stone Master Marathoners and regularly ran 5km and 10km races, the court heard.
She was caught out by her Facebook posts about her running, the court was told.
A DWP investigation carried out in Feb 2023 found Morris took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance, showing no signs of balance problems.
The investigation uncovered that she competed in 73 races between May 2019 and Dec 2022.
Morris, from Stone, Staffordshire, was overpaid £20,528.83 between Oct 20 2020 and April 25 2023.
She pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and was jailed for eight months last July.
Now she has appeared at the same court for a proceeds of crime hearing. Judge Graeme Smith was told Morris benefited from her criminality by £22,386.02 and the available amount was £60,000.
He ordered Morris to repay £22,386.02 within 28 days or serve nine months in prison in default.
Paul Cliff, mitigating, said Morris was diagnosed with MS 19 years ago and the 'severity of its impact ebbs and flows to a degree'.
Mr Cliff added: 'But it is accepted by her that the application did not give the full picture. It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty.'
He said Morris's marriage broke down in the spring of 2020, and that she did not enjoy a lavish lifestyle as a result of her fraudulent claim.
Mr Cliff said: 'She lost her home because of financial problems and was struggling to keep her head above water financially.
'The application did not give the full picture. She did say running was one of the ways she tried to manage her MS. She has found it difficult to come to terms with her dishonesty.'
Morris was also ordered to pay a £187 surcharge.
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