She fraudulently claimed more than £44,000 by keeping her long-term relationship quiet in a case of ‘persistent dishonesty’, a court heard
Judith Blackmore pictured outside Hull Crown Court(Image: Hull Live)
A benefits cheat fiddled more than £44,400 in fraudulent payments by keeping quiet that she was not single – and had, in reality, been in a long-running relationship with a man for many years. Investigators finally discovered what was going on by looking at her Facebook profile and seeing that there were photographs of a wedding reception and a honeymoon.
Judith Blackmore “didn’t mention” about being married “as she wasn’t asked” about it and she had debts from setting up her “fledgling” horsebox refurbishment business, Hull Crown Court heard. Blackmore, 64, of Main Street, Etton, near Beverley, admitted fraud by failing to disclose information to East Riding of Yorkshire Council between July 1, 2019 and June 17, 2024 and a similar offence involving the Department for Work and Pensions between September 18, 2018 and June 17, 2024.
Holly Thompson, prosecuting, said that Blackmore received Universal Credit on the basis that she was single, with no other income and simply shared a tenancy with a man. She also received a council tax reduction on the basis that she was a single occupant, with no other income or capital.
She was overpaid benefit of £44,415 – £40,023 from Universal Credit and £4,392 from council tax discount. On October 14, 2018, Blackmore completed an online claim for Universal Credit and gave an address in Stony Lane, Brough.
“She confirmed she was single, was living with a joint tenant and had no money and savings,” said Miss Thompson. “She declared she was also caring for a relative.
“She was required to notify the DWP if she was living with a partner while she was in receipt of Universal Credit. She signed a declaration to confirm the information she had given was complete and correct and that she would report any changes promptly.”
On July 27, 2019, she reported a change to her address and housing costs and gave an address in the Beverley area and said that she lived with another tenant. An investigation of bank statements for her and the “co-tenant” showed “financial interdependency” rather than them simply being joint tenants.
Large sums of money were transferred between their bank accounts, with the man transferring £96,000 into Blackmore’s accounts and her moving £73,000 into his. “The DWP made inquiries into her social media profiles,” said Miss Thompson.
On Facebook, Blackmore was shown as having been in a relationship with the man since 2013. “Photographs from her profile showed a wedding reception as well as a honeymoon,” said Miss Thompson.
A marriage certificate was obtained, confirming that Blackmore and the man were married on May 3, 2024. “The defendant, at no point, notified the DWP that she was living with a partner,” said Miss Thompson.
Blackmore received a reduction in her council tax payments. When she and the man took on the tenancy, they presented themselves to the landlord as a couple, rather than individuals.
Companies House records showed him to be a director of a horseboxes company owned by Blackmore. Her entitlement to council tax reductions was recalculated and it showed £4,392 underpaid by her.
During interview, Blackmore accepted that the information that she failed to provide would have made a difference to her benefits payments. “She admitted they had lived together for many years, however she denied they were in a relationship the entire time,” said Miss Thompson.
“She eventually agreed that, when she claimed Universal Credit in 2018, she should have declared a partner.” She later claimed that her relationship with the man was not a “proper” relationship and that, although they had lived together since 2011, they were not always a couple.
“She said that the two were married but didn’t mention this earlier as she wasn’t asked,” added Miss Thompson. Blackmore had no previous convictions.
Julia Baggs, mitigating, said that Blackmore pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity. “She is very, very sorry for her actions,” said Miss Baggs.
“She fully appreciates that this is entirely dishonest conduct.” Blackmore had significant responsibilities over a long period of time, including looking after her mother, and trying to set up her own fledgling business in refurbishing horseboxes.
She had considerable debt in setting up that business. “She buried her head in the sand,” said Miss Baggs. “It is something that she has let spiral out of control and she feels a deep sense of shame.
“She has always been a hard-working lady.” She usually worked with animals, either horses or dogs. She was repaying the fraudulently obtained money at £300 a month.
“She will increase that when she can,” said Miss Baggs. “She is determined to make this wrong right. She has no intention of returning to this court or any other court centre.”
Recorder Richard Wright KC said: “This was persistent dishonesty over a long period of time and there were numerous opportunities to cease the dishonest conduct.” He told Blackmore: “You persisted in deliberately obtaining money which you knew full well you were not entitled to obtain.
“That money was not, of course, free money. It comes from hardworking taxpayers to provide a safety net. Over a persistent period of time, you were stealing something in the region of £44,000 – a significant sum of money.
“This was a case of multiple false declarations over a considerable period of time. I accept that you are ashamed and remorseful.”
Blackmore was given a 16-month suspended prison sentence and 120 hours’ unpaid work. Recorder Wright warned her that, if she committed any more offences, she would face serving a 16-month sentence “for starters”.
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