'We'll find you!' Warning to benefit cheats after mother caught in £32,000 fraud

The Government has issued a blunt warning to benefit fraudsters after a mother was caught in a fraud case.

A Doncaster woman who swindled more than £32,000 in Universal Credit by concealing that she was living with her partner has been given a suspended jail term.

Laura Cunningham, 34, of Tennyson Avenue, Mexborough, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court last Friday to six months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, after admitting to a single count of fraud.

Over a two-year period, Cunningham falsely told the Department for Work and Pensions she was a single mother living alone with her children, enabling her to pocket £32,255.60 in benefits to which she was not entitled.

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The fraud unravelled when police questioned Cunningham in September 2024 about why her partner appeared to be residing at her address on a permanent basis, and why two vehicles parked in the driveway were registered in his name.

During the interview, she offered no comment beyond claiming the man "sometimes stayed" at the property, the court heard.

That same evening, she cancelled her Universal Credit claim, selecting "no reason" when prompted to explain the decision - but by then the damage was already done.

DWP investigators had conducted surveillance on Cunningham's home and carried out open-source research, understood to involve examining social media, which confirmed she was in a relationship and that her benefits claim was dishonest.

The Government seized on the case to deliver a stark message to those cheating the benefits system: "We will find you."

Minister for Transformation Andrew Western said: "The message is clear don't think you can steal from hardworking taxpayers."

He added: "Whatever your reasons for committing benefit fraud, know that our investigators are wise to every trick in the book and we will find you."

The minister also called on members of the public to come forward if they suspected abuse.

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He said: "And if you know somebody is fleecing the system, report it."

The remarks underscored the Government's determination to crack down on fraudulent claims at the expense of taxpayers.

Cunningham entered a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity and was visibly emotional in the dock, weeping as the case was heard.

Recorder Mr Harry Vann acknowledged her remorse, telling her: "This is a very serious matter, as you are clearly aware, involving deceit of £32,000 in benefit fraud from the taxpayers of this country."

He noted that reaching her thirties without any prior convictions counted in her favour.

Mr Harry Vann added: "From today, you must stay out of trouble, as you have done so until this point."

A requirement for unpaid work was set aside out of consideration for her children.

The self-employed plasterer has reportedly already started making repayments towards the £32,000 debt.

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