A funeral director who claimed he could barely climb stairs was spotted striding out ahead of corteges passing through the streets.
Wayne Brindley began claiming disability benefit after breaking his leg badly in 2000.
But a court heard he failed to tell benefit bosses his condition had improved so much that he could lead funeral processions.
Brindley, of Market Street, in Mottram, Tameside, set up a funeral service last year after being made redundant by the Co-op four years earlier. Brindley, 39, led the procession at the funeral of David Askew – a Hattersley man with learning difficulties who died in March after confronting youths outside his home.
Brindley laid on the service for free after learning of the circumstances.
Huw Edwards, prosecuting on behalf the Department for Work and Pensions, said: "We received information he was running a funeral parlour.
"The defendant was seen in the reception of the property, walking and standing, and part of his job in running the parlour involves walking in front of the hearse."
Mr Edwards said the overpayment was £6,701 between September 2007 and September last year and added that the amount would be recovered.
Brindley admitted dishonestly failing to give prompt notification of a change in his circumstances to the department. Defending, Chelsea Thomas said after fracturing his right leg in an accident in 2000 Brindley needed numerous operations – the last in 2003.
"This was not a fraudulent claim at the outset," she said.
Magistrates fined Brindley £360, plus a £15 victims surcharge, and ordered him to pay £250 costs.
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Lord Snooty
Cutting-edge wit. Comedy Club next week, is it?
I bet he's DEAD embarrassed about this. Well, the truth HEARSE after all.
Everybody on DLA etc should be reinvestigated and their claims for this benefit re-evaluated.As a dissabled person myself i see scammers every day.
I cannot understand why people dishonestly claiming disability benefits take jobs where they parade in public view making it obvious that their claims are bogus.
Yep and another. Only 250000 to go.
People who fiddle benefits should be publicly humiliated and barred from claiming any benefit in the future. Utter filth.
He won't be burying this bad news.
Another one who forgot...
Hello, Once again you only publish stories about people defrauding the Benefits System, But you never publish the number of people that are being CHEATED out of their Benefits by the Benefits Agency themselves, why do I say this? because Iam an 81 year old severely disabled (born with cerebral paulsea)and I have been cheated out of my Pension Credit & Council Tax Benefit for the last 6 years, I have been up before 2 Tribunals, both chaired by the same old Lady who decided against me, and also made allegations against that where totally untrue in contradiction of a decision made by a Crown Court Judge in 1989, in other words saying that the Crown court judge when he found me not guilty of an offence, which she now says Iam guilty of,this last Tribunal was held only yesterday,I think there must be a lot of others that faced a DWP Tribunal and suffered similar mis-carriages of justice the same as I have, I hope my story helps someone else, as I have nobody to help me. Regards from old oddlegs from Bury
He needs to think outside the box next time....
why dont they investigate properly before paying out money to these thieves
Zingo everyone on DLA is being re investigated, and I'm sure you'll be pleased to learn that over half the claimants are being found fit to work (although 40% are found genuine by tribunal).
I'm sure you'll also be pleased to learn that those claiming sickness benefit are being denied benfits if there is some work they can do, they cannot claim jobseekers, because they have to be fit for all work. I'm sure you'll be very happy that genuinely ill people will have their entitlement to benefit withdrawn completely - unless shock horror they do it to you!
This man was a genuine claimant (as was the dancer earlier) who got better, but where is that cut off point at which you are eligible, and when you are not? That is a very difficult question, but it needs answering because at the moment, there's no clear point. If you can walk down the road as this man can, then clearly he's been swinging the lead.
He made a grave mistake. Now he's been convicted of dishonestly he's going to end up with a dead end job.
numpty...
Am glad this scumbag is finally caught and I am sure there are many more 1000's out there claiming DLA and then having a job or playing golf, dancing etc.
The grim reaper awaits
What in the name of all the great gods is a 'victims surcharge'?
yeah i must admit, im getting a bit sick of this benefit scam thing, considering i work my backside off for what i have, start work at 8.00 am and sometimes dont finish till 10.00pm and see people far better off than me, rent paid etc, living off benefits, when clearly, theres nothing wrong with them! i might start dobbing them in myself.
Striding ahead MEN? Are you sure? Walking slowly and stiffly before a funeral processions might have been advised as just the kind of very light exercise the man needed occasionally. Striding ahead indeed. Pfffft.
I'm sick and tired of hearing these excuses from spongers like him. "I can barely walk", "I can barely climb the stairs", "I can barely get out of bed before sunrise", yet these scroungers can sit there and fill in endless forms for their claim to commit theft from the taxpayer!!
Fact is, there is no excuse and he knew full-well he was breaking the law once he was fit enough to walk. How long do we long suffering taxpayers have to wait before we get justice and see these thieves jailed??
as usual its the tax payer who picks up the bill, he should repay every penny,
i wonder when the goverment will get back the £175 billion.....yes £175 billion.....that the bankers stole from the economy of this country and put every person in this country in debt for the next 3 generations......i,m betting never.........i can't see any bankers in the being in the dock any time soon.
If you knew him you'd know that he's disabled why do you think he was walking with a stick, his leg is badly broken, he is constantly on pain killers, don't call someone you don't know
I think everyone is loosing sight of the fact that, at the very worse this man was only following the example of our great and noble leaders - our politicians and MPs!
In January we will ALL be robbed by a rise in VAT to pay for the damage done to the economy by theiving bankers.
How many of those grasping MP cheats were brought before the courts for their claims for 'duck houses, dodgy mortgages' ect ect, paid for by us the taxpayer?
Every one of these were far wealthier than any 'benefit fraudster'!
When taking about 'scum' remember that it recognises no social boundarys, its just that the 'upper crust' are protected by this bent system.