Benefits fraudster who 'stole £50k from public' avoids prison

A serial fraudster with a lengthy history of dishonesty offences has escaped an immediate prison sentence after defrauding the benefits system of nearly £50,000.

Georgette Mitchell, 54, formerly of Essex but now residing in Kent, received a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday.

Judge Christopher Morgan delivered a scathing assessment of the defendant, branding her "a thoroughly dishonest individual" who had been "dishonest from the start".

Mitchell displayed no visible emotion as the sentence was handed down.

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The court also ordered her to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days as part of her punishment.

Between 2011 and 2016, Mitchell fraudulently claimed public money while simultaneously holding employment, the court heard.

The total sum she obtained through false claims amounted to just under £50,000.

Among the benefits she dishonestly received was disability living allowance.

Prosecutor Joe Bird told the court that Mitchell had been questioned by Department for Work and Pensions investigators in January 2016.

He said: "That revealed the attitude towards the claim. There's a sense that she has put her head in the sand and ignored that these things should have been declared."

Earlier this year, Mitchell admitted to six counts of dishonestly failing to notify a change in circumstances.

Mitchell's appearance at Chelmsford Crown Court revealed an extensive record of criminal conduct spanning years.

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The court was informed she had accumulated four previous convictions encompassing 13 separate offences, every one of them connected to dishonesty.

Her fraudulent benefits claims occurred during a period that overlapped with other criminal activity, for which she subsequently received a 21-month custodial sentence, Judge Morgan noted.

According to the DWP, Mitchell's prior convictions included a 2016 prison term for embezzling £52,000 from golf clubs across Essex.

Before that, in 2009, she had been convicted of theft committed during her employment as a practice manager at a GP surgery in Liverpool.

Andrew Western, the minister for transformation, issued a stark warning following the case.

He said: "Georgette Mitchell attempted to make a career out of lying and cheating the system and our investigators caught up with her."

He added: "That kind of brazen dishonesty has consequences. If you're defrauding the system, we will find you. And if you know someone who is, report it."

Defence barrister Jonathan Rosen argued his client suffered from "real and significant medical conditions" and had made some repayments, though Judge Morgan observed no medical evidence from any consultant or clinician had been submitted.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Morgan emphasised the strain on public resources, stating: "It [the benefits system] is over-stretched.

"There are many people who genuinely require those benefits – you did not. You chose to steal from the public."

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