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A 25-year-old woman has been ordered to perform 120 hours of community service after failing to notify social security that her partner had been staying at her address, with the fraudulent behaviour uncovered through surveillance of her property.
Tiffany Anne Billien pleaded guilty to the income support offence, which occurred between 5 February and 12 March this year, and was sentenced in the Magistrate’s Court this week.
Crown Advocate Fiona Russell told the court that an allegation was made to social security in August 2023 that someone else had been living at Billien’s home
Early in 2024 surveillance of the property began with a male seen leaving early in the morning on 18 out of the 22 days the house was observed. Further investigations found that the man had used that address for vehicle licensing and to previous and current employers.
Advocate Russell said Billien had been repeatedly reminded that changes in circumstances required social services to be notified, including having another adult stay at the property for more than one night per week, but no changes had been reported since 2019.
She added that Billien, following a police interview, had declined to make a joint income support claim and assured that the man would no longer reside in the house.
Advocate Russell said there had been a benefit overpayment of £3,587.50 during the period, which she had committed to repay.
But this figure was disputed by Advocate Sam Steel, defending, who said some benefit would have been paid, albeit a reduced amount, if the pair had received joint support.
He added that the partner had been forced into the property after he lost his own accommodation and has been “sleeping in a tent” since departing Billien’s home.
Pictured: Billien was sentenced in the Magistrate's Court.
Advocate Steel offered a “full unreserved apology” for his client's failure to disclose the information and said the claims weren’t “fraudulent from the outset”
“This was not a sophisticated scam to defraud the public”, he added, saying hostility with neighbours had brought the issue to the fore.
Billien is a full-time mother of two young children and feared not returning home to care for them, he said.
Judge Gary Perry, sentencing, said it was only the young children that prevented him from sending her to prison, which should make her “feel extra shame”.
He labelled the crime “stealing money from the state... money that could be used better elsewhere.
“That money could’ve been life changing for somebody else with children... you put yourself above everybody else.”
He noted Billien had no previous convictions and had character references which spoke highly of her.
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