Dwp benefits cheat who pocketed £53k is still claiming universal credit

MARIE BUCHANAN, 50, HAS HAD JUST £36 KNOCKED OFF HER CLAIM 11:21, 01 Jun 2025 A benefits cheat who claimed more than £53,000 she was not entitled to has had just £36 knocked off her

Universal Credit claim. Fraudster Marie Buchanan made claims for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Housing Benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The 50-year-old was

initially claiming benefits legitimately as she and her partner were not fit for work and had no other income. But she failed to tell the department when her situation changed and her

partner was working on a self-employed basis between April 2019 and April 2023. It meant that she was paid £53,531.98 in benefits which she should not have received. Stoke-on-Trent Crown

Court heard Buchanan is now making repayments while continuing to claim benefits - with £36.97 deducted from her Universal Credit claim. Article continues below READ MORE: ROMESH RANGANATHAN

MAKES CANDID ADMISSION AND SAYS 'BIG BREAK' She has also walked from court with a suspended sentence, StokeonTrentLive reports. Buchanan claimed ESA from October 2009 to February

2023, prosecutor Harry Dickens said. She was required to tell the DWP of any change in her circumstances. Mr Dickens said: "It transpired that her partner had worked on a self-employed

basis between April 2019 and April 2023. "Had she informed the DWP that he had been working she would have received a reduced benefit or no benefit payments." Buchanan was overpaid

£31,694.35 in ESA, the court heard. She also applied for Housing Benefit in 2011 and signed a form saying she would notify Stoke-on-Trent City Council of a change in her circumstances -

which she failed to do. It meant that she was overpaid £21,837.63 Housing Benefit between April 2019 and July 2023. In her interview, Buchanan confirmed she should have informed the DWP of

the changes. But she said she buried her head in the sand and described how her partner's work was 'hit and miss'. Buchanan, of Dalehall Gardens, Middleport, admitted two

counts of benefit fraud. Steve Hennessy, defending, said Buchanan has been making repayments and £36.97 has been deducted from her Universal Credit claim. _Don't miss the biggest and

breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here._ He said: "She is making repayments. It hurts her to do that as she is already in financial difficulty with debts.

"She has accepted responsibility for her actions. "She is ashamed to be before the court and how her family might view these proceedings." Sentencing, Judge Graeme Smith said:

"You are not the sort of person that I usually see sitting in the dock. "I am surprised to see you sitting there at all. I accept what you did was more putting your head in the

sand than making a deliberate decision to defraud anybody. "You received in excess of £53,000 to which you were not entitled. "That is money that could have been spent on other

public services." Judge Smith decided to hand Buchanan a suspended sentence because of her lack of relevant convictions, her significant health issues and her genuine remorse. Judge

Smith added: "You are a low risk of re-offending and causing any harm to anyone. "You have never breached the terms of a court order. Article continues below "You would find

custody particularly difficult because of your ill health." Buchanan was handed a 21-week sentence, suspended for 12 months, with a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement.