A woman who cheated the benefits system out of more than £52000...

[Sandy-Wroe]

by claiming her children were disabled, was told by the judge that she came close to going to prison. She was given a suspended sentence. What would she have to have done to receive a custodial sentence?

[Barmaid]

I don't know the case Sandy, but at £52k she is well over the custody threshold (I think you are likely to be looking at custody once the £20k mark is passed from my dim and distant memory).

I suspect that there are seriously mitigating circumstances - not least the fact that if she is the sole carer for the children, they will end up in care and that punishes them and not their mother.

[Ankou]

there were mitigating circs. but utlimately.....

'The decision to suspend has been reached because of the burden to the state, to the taxpayer, that would be caused by sending you to prison for what would have to be a relatively short sentence.'

[cazzz1975]

maybe she could do community service?

[Ankou]

she has 12 sprogs, we'd have to pay for child care

[Sandy-Wroe]

She couldn't do community service, then. She'd be too busy looking after the 12 children.

[petal54]

did no-one check re the children being disabled,,when i was unemployment,'they' wanted to know details on the spots on my butt& my dead great gran

[ummmm]

My friend moved in with her (male) friend...well, more like fled due to her abbusive partner. She has a 4 year old daughter. There is nothing going on between the two but she's had two compliance officers out. wtf? He's charging her £50 a week. Do the job centre/council want her to go homeless and foot the bill for that.

[daffy654]

She 'only' has 11 children,she made one of them up.......the 12th never existed.

http://www.lep.co.uk/...l-sentence.5773780.jp

[Barmaid]

For goodness sake with 7 dependent children, I'd have been begging the Judge to lock me up!!!!!