Should We Feel Sorry For Him?

[Islay]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5663567/daniel-millar-lottery-winner-poverty-disabled-benefits/

He spent 80 grand and in less than 2 months and expects the taxpayer to go back to keeping him?
Am I being to hard on him?

[RobNorth]

He lives in Motherwell, one of the hundreds of places in the UK devastated by the loss of industry in the 1980's and pretty much neglected since. The "rules" in these places, where a couple of hundred apply for each job in a supermarket, tend to be neglected also... I'm not excusing his behaviour, but I do understand it. Up and down the country in places such as this, for the last thirty years or so men of a certain age could be seen "taking sticks for a walk" because of the lack of jobs, stick type disability provides the best income. These people aren't criminals, they play the system.

[Deskdiary]

"Up and down the country in places such as this, for the last thirty years or so men of a certain age could be seen "taking sticks for a walk" because of the lack of jobs, stick type disability provides the best income. These people aren't criminals, they play the system."

Are you saying claiming disability benefit where no such disability exists isn't criminal? Because if you are, you are wrong.

[wolf63]

It doesn't matter whether people feel sorry for him, it was up to him to find out what this money could do to his benefits.

Depending upon how much of his win was spent on necessary things - home repairs etc the rest could still be treated as still being available and taken into account.

I'm not awake yet so hope above makes sense.

[ummmm]

I don't claim benefits and I know the rules.

[youngmafbog]

Same here, you have to live under a rock not to.

I dont feel sorry for him in the least. I personally think he is a chancer.

[anthro-nerd]

I don't feel sorry for him... he was irresponsible.

[anneasquith]

He did gift cash to his family, made home improvement , he could have *** it up against a wall or fed his drug habit. Which he didn't .

[Deskdiary]

^^^Your point being?

[anneasquith]

My point being. Does he deserve the venom he's getting on the site ?

[Deskdiary]

^^^Yes, probably.

It doesn't really matter what he blew 80 grand on, the fact is he blew it quickly in the hope he wouldn't be found out (I refuse to believe he didn't know what he was doing - it would be of weapons grade stupidity not to know that a windfall like this would have an affect on the free money he receives).

[andy-hughes]

Deskdiary - // ... it would be of weapons grade stupidity not to know that a windfall like this would have an affect on the free money he receives). //

That works if you assume that this gentleman has the intelligence and knowledge needed to think ahead, and work out consequences, and as you know if you live on this planet - millions of people simply don't.

[THECORBYLOON]

When a claimant is awarded a means-tested benefit the award notice tells them to report a change in circumstances which could affect the entitlement and that includes any change in their savings.

When benefits are uprated each year, the letter tells them to report any change that may affect entitlement.

After any change of circumstances, a letter telling the claimant their new rate of benefit reminds them about having to report changes of circumstances.

That means claimants will have had at least one letter telling them what changes they need to report.

Given the fact that income support is awarded to certain claimants because their savings are below a set level, it follows that coming into tens of thousands of pounds should prompt thoughts about continuing entitlement.