Benefit cheat mum must repay £22k after innocuous facebook posts caught her out

SARA MORRIS, 50, HAS APPEARED BACK IN COURT 09:55, 01 Jun 2025 A benefits cheat who claimed more than £20,000 while competing in scores of running events has been ordered to repay the money.

Sara Morris was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2005 but in 2020 she exaggerated the extent of her condition and claimed Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The mum-of-three lied

about the severity of her MS and said she lacked the power to stand at the cooker, lacked balance and experienced difficulties getting out of the bath unassisted. She also claimed to be so

anxious when she left the house and even a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication left her in tears, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard she was paid

£2,292.63 in PIP a month. But she failed to mention to the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) that she was in fact a member of the Stone Master Marathoners and regularly ran 5km and

10km races. She was caught out by her own Facebook posts of her running. Morris, of Walton Way, Stone, was overpaid £20,528.83 between October 20, 2020 and April 25, 2023. She pleaded guilty

to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and was jailed for eight months last July. The 50-year-old has reappeared at the same court for a Proceeds of Crime hearing.

Judge Graeme Smith was told Morris benefited from her criminality by £22,386.02 and the available amount was £60,000. He ordered Morris to repay £22,386.02 within 28 days or serve nine

months in prison in default. Article continues below The court heard investigators carried out surveillance on Morris from February 5 to February 20, 2023. Prosecutor Regan Walters said:

"On February 5 she took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance and showed no signs of balance problems. On February 11 she was seen running with the Stone

Master Marathoners and showed no signs of discomfort." The investigation uncovered that Morris competed in 73 races between May 2019 and December 2022. The defendant was interviewed on

May 11, 2023 and she stated her MS had worsened and she was suffering from fatigue. But she confirmed she had been a member of Stone Master Marathoners running club prior to making her

claim. She added she filled in her PIP form on her worst day. Paul Cliff, mitigating, said Morris was diagnosed with MS 19 years ago and the 'severity of its impact ebbs and flows to a

degree'. Mr Cliff said: "But it is accepted by her that the application did not give the full picture. It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty." He said Morris's

marriage broke down in the spring of 2020. He said Morris did not enjoy a lavish lifestyle as a result of her fraudulent claim. Mr Cliff said: "She lost her home because of financial

problems and was struggling to keep her head above water financially. Article continues below "The application did not give the full picture. She did say running was one of the ways she

tried to manage her MS. She has found it difficult to come to terms with her dishonesty." Morris must also pay a £187 surcharge.