Latest news with #Cliff
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
ITV News
3 days ago
- ITV News
Stoke-on-Trent benefits cheat mum caught out by her own Facebook posts while running marathons
A mother from Stoke-on-Trent who falsely claimed more than £20,000 in benefits while posting social media pictures of her running marathons, has been ordered to repay the money. Sara Morris, 50 and from Stone, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005. But in 2020 she exaggerated the extent of her condition and claimed Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The mother-of-three lied about the extent of her condition, saying she wasn't able to stand at the cooker, lacked balance and had difficulties getting out of the bath also claimed to be anxious when she left the house, saying a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication left her in Crown Court heard she was paid £2,292.63 in PIP a month. But she failed to inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was a member of the Stone Master Marathoners, and regularly ran 5km and 10km was caught out by her own Facebook posts of her running. Morris was overpaid £20,528.83 in benefits between October 20th 2020 and April 25th 2023. She pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit, and was jailed for eight months last has now re-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. Morris was ordered to repay £22,386.02 within 28 days, or serve nine months in prison in default. "She took part in a five-mile race" The court heard investigators carried out surveillance on Morris from February 5th to February 20th 2023. Prosecutor Regan Walters said "On February 5 she took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance and showed no signs of balance problems. "On February 11 she was seen running with the Stone Master Marathoners and showed no signs of discomfort."The investigation found that Morris had competed in 73 races between May 2019 and December 2022. "It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty" Morris was interviewed on May 11th 2023 and said her multiple sclerosis had worsened, and that she was suffering from fatigue. But she confirmed she had been a member of Stone Master Marathoners running club before making her claim, adding that she had filled in her PIP form on her worst 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 said "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 said she did not enjoy a lavish lifestyle through 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 must also pay a £187 surcharge.
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Wales Online
Mum who claimed she struggled to get out of bath caught out by Facebook posts of her running
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A deceitful mum who falsely claimed over £20,000 in benefits while participating in numerous running events has been ordered to repay the money. Sara Morris, 50, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2005 but exaggerated her condition in 2020 to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The mother of three lied about the severity of her MS, claiming she lacked the strength to stand at the cooker, had balance issues and struggled to get out of the bath without help. She also claimed that leaving the house caused her such anxiety that even a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication would reduce her to tears. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that she received £2,292.63 in PIP each month. However, she failed to inform the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) that she was an active member of the Stone Master Marathoners and regularly participated in 5km and 10km races. Her dishonesty was exposed by her own Facebook posts documenting her running activities. Morris, from Walton Way, Stone, was overpaid £20,528.83 between October 20, 2020 and April 25, 2023. She admitted to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and was sentenced to eight months in prison last July, reports Stoke on Trent Live. Now she has reappeared 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. The court heard investigators carried out surveillance on Morris from February 5 to February 20, 2023. Prosecutor Regan Walters said: "On February 5 she took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance and showed no signs of balance problems. On February 11 she was seen running with the Stone Master Marathoners and showed no signs of discomfort." The investigation uncovered that Morris competed in 73 races between May 2019 and December 2022. The defendant was interviewed on May 11, 2023 and she stated her MS had worsened and she was suffering from fatigue. But she confirmed she had been a member of Stone Master Marathoners running club prior to making her claim. She added she filled in her PIP form on her worst day. 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 said: "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. He said Morris 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 must also pay a £187 surcharge. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Find crime figures for your area
North Wales Live
3 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Live
Mum who claimed she struggled to get out of bath caught out by Facebook posts of her running
A deceitful mum who falsely claimed over £20,000 in benefits while participating in numerous running events has been ordered to repay the money. Sara Morris, 50, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2005 but exaggerated her condition in 2020 to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The mother of three lied about the severity of her MS, claiming she lacked the strength to stand at the cooker, had balance issues and struggled to get out of the bath without help. She also claimed that leaving the house caused her such anxiety that even a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication would reduce her to tears. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that she received £2,292.63 in PIP each month. However, she failed to inform the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) that she was an active member of the Stone Master Marathoners and regularly participated in 5km and 10km races. Her dishonesty was exposed by her own Facebook posts documenting her running activities. Morris, from Walton Way, Stone, was overpaid £20,528.83 between October 20, 2020 and April 25, 2023. She admitted to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and was sentenced to eight months in prison last July, reports Stoke on Trent Live. Now she has reappeared 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. The court heard investigators carried out surveillance on Morris from February 5 to February 20, 2023. Prosecutor Regan Walters said: "On February 5 she took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance and showed no signs of balance problems. On February 11 she was seen running with the Stone Master Marathoners and showed no signs of discomfort." The investigation uncovered that Morris competed in 73 races between May 2019 and December 2022. The defendant was interviewed on May 11, 2023 and she stated her MS had worsened and she was suffering from fatigue. But she confirmed she had been a member of Stone Master Marathoners running club prior to making her claim. She added she filled in her PIP form on her worst day. 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 said: "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. He said Morris 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 must also pay a £187 surcharge.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dear Abby: Should I keep dating a man I don't like because he'll pay for my kids' college tuition?
DEAR ABBY: I have been divorced from my ex-husband, 'Cliff,' for a year and a half. My nearly adult children live with me. They rarely see their dad. Our divorce was relatively painless, but the custody battle was prolonged, and most of my savings were drained in the process. Cliff pays child support, but I'm still struggling financially to raise two growing teenagers, and I'm worried about them going off to college. A few months ago, I reconnected with a childhood friend I'll call 'Rob.' We have rediscovered our friendship and see each other often. He recently expressed interest in a romantic relationship. Abby, I'm still in love with my ex-husband! It wasn't my choice to separate, and although Rob is very sweet, I don't feel comfortable moving on so quickly. However, he has a high-paying job, and when we occasionally go out to dinner, he always pays the bill. I'm afraid I won't be able to afford my kids' college without his financial support. I'm torn between my love for my children and my continued love for my ex-husband. Should I pursue this relationship even though I don't feel the same? — ANGUISHED IN ALBUQUERQUE DEAR ANGUISHED: Tell Rob you are still not over your divorce, and while you like him very much and enjoy his company, you are not ready for a romantic relationship. It is the truth, and he deserves that. As to the fact that you think you still love the husband who wanted the divorce, it's time to accept that the marriage is history. Once you do that, you may find a future with Rob more to your liking. DEAR ABBY: I am someone who calls friends, but they never call back. When I call, they are happy to hear from me, the conversations are lively and fun, and the friends say they love it when I call. I do not call often, and I don't feel I'm making a nuisance of myself. However, like I said, they don't call back. I can understand not hearing from newer friends, but I resent not hearing from ones I've had my whole life. I could have died, and they couldn't bother to find out if I'm OK or get an update on my life. I know I should drop them and move on, but I can't. I need help with that. These are people I've never had a cross word with. Something — it could be an upcoming holiday — reminds me of them, and I want to make contact. Why do people do this to people they say they love and care about? –PERPLEXED IN FLORIDA DEAR PERPLEXED: People behave this way because they are stressed, busy or distracted. Most of the time, it isn't personal. Not everyone is a 'caller' like you are. If you want to maintain these relationships, you have to be prepared to do the calling. I'm not saying this to be judgmental or to make excuses for them; it's just a fact of life. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
