IT was an own goal which has cost Stephen Southern dear.
He told benefit officials he was barely able to walk more than 25 metres because of back pain and needed to use a stick.
And his chest pain and dizziness were so bad he needed help to get in and out of bed and to get dressed.
So it came as a bit of surprise when investigators received a tip off that the 49-year-old was refereeing and running the line at local football matches.
They conducted secret surveillance and filmed him sprinting and waving his linesman’s flag during a game.
Discomfort
Katie Houghton, prosecuting at Wigan magistrates’ court, said: “At no time did he show signs of any physical discomfort.
“He was seen to jog, sprint, twist and turn, run backwards, wave his arms around and keep up with the match.”
Southern, of Bakewell Drive, Wigan, illegally claimed £11,000 over five years.
The court heard investigations found he had been a registered referee with the Lancashire FA since 2004 and last year officiated in more than 40 matches.
'Improved'
Southern pleaded guilty to failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change of circumstances.
Martin Jones, defending, said Southern’s condition ‘improved considerably’ after spinal surgery but he still suffered pain.
Mr Jones said: “This was a claim that was legitimately made. It was not a claim that was fraudulent from the outset.”
The court heard Southern is now repaying the cash at £150 per month. He was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid community work and to pay £200 in court costs.
Comments
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Is going to take him over 6 years to pay it back.... why cant we take goods to the value to pay back the debt?
He's just one of many hundreds of thousands milking the benefits system to all taxpayers detriment! I bet he votes New Labour.
“He was seen to jog, sprint, twist and turn, run backwards, wave his arms around and keep up with the match.”
When he's paid it all back he should be given a job as a Premiership ref!
If he had robbed a bank he would of got time.What he did was still theft and over a long period of time,community service not harsh enough.
No doubt in his defence he said "he has good days and bad days"...
I'm just waiting for Alex Ferguson to pass comment, as he always seems to have something to say about referee's.
Actually looks a tad quicker on his feet than Alan Wiley.
Before we all start blaming Labour we must remember it was the Tories who introduced and encouraged this benefit therefore taking them of the unemployed register. By doing this it kept the jobless total down.
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 80 year old severely disabled (born with cebral 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.
While we are still so lenient with people they are just going to keep doing it and thinking they can get away with it. If people were given prison sentences then it might make them think twice and before everyone says the prisons are full enough, we should send the paedophiles and murderers off to Afghanistan and keep our lads at home, instead of them being killed every other day. One less murderer or paedophile wouldn't be that bad !!
oddlegs, bury
Blimey has someone upset you today?
oddlegs, bury
I sympathise with your predicament oddlegs. In 1999 I became physically disabled through illness following which I had to give up my employment on the advice of a consultant and my GP. Although I was immediately given incapacity benefit, I was advised to claim for Disability Living Allowance (mobility component) as I was having difficulty in walking and climbing stairs. I made a claim, was assessed by a DWP doctor and refused the DLA. I appealed and was refused again. Some time later I went to the CAB to ask for their assistance in trying to claim this allowance; the CAB agreed to help me. Despite the help of the CAB and further letters from my consultant and GP supporting my claim, I was again refused the benefit. A further appeal was made and following protracted correspondence I was eventually awarded the benefit three years after I had become disabled meaning that I had lost over £3,000 in benefits that I was entitled to. Whilst I agree that people like Stephen Southern should be prosecuted for defrauding the benefit system, will an official from the DWP be hauled before the courts for defrauding me of money that I was legally entitled to; I doubt it.
Before we all start blaming Labour we must remember it was the Tories who introduced and encouraged this benefit therefore taking them of the unemployed register. By doing this it kept the jobless total down.
hjk,
27/11/2009 at 10:58
Aint that the truth..
Seems to be erased from most Tories voters memories this point. The Tories completely massaged the statistics and effectively started the ball rolling for the creation of what we now have i.e. A thirty year old generation spanning society of "cant work, Wont work" Freeloaders..
Thanks Maggie. A great legacy you have left. Combine that with wholesale privatisation and poll tax and that is quite an achievment..
I thought all referees had something wrong with them? No need to publise this one.
Re: Oddlegs
Would have thought that anyone who had cerebral palsy for 80 years would know how to spell it by now!!
Jeff Lebowski "Re: Oddlegs Would have thought that anyone who had cerebral palsy for 80 years would know how to spell it by now!!"
That was a bit below the belt man.
Now substitute the word benefits with expenses.
Whilst the MP's get away with it, so will the man in the street
The DWP use people like they are their plaything, they will rag you from pillar to post. Remember, not everyone is normal. Peace and love.
Jenny Tals
Call me an old cynic, but I don't automatically believe what everyone writes on here.
Jeff Lebowski - was that necessary?
Well that will teach him! He will be back at it again soon with some other fictional way to claim benefits. DONT BE SO LAZY AND GET ..............A....................JOB....................
Sorry if I offended anyone with my earlier comment, but think about it. If you suffered from CP, how many forms would you have filled in over the past 80 years. How many times would you have written those words out? How many times would you have read them? If you had suffered from an illness for 80 years, you WOULD know how to spell it!
He shouldn't just pay the money back. He should be sent to prison. The magistrates/judges who don't care less, the civil servants who paid him this money without getting regular certificates of invalidity from a special doctor, the specialist doctors, the senior highy-paid civil servants who let this thieving of public money be repeated tens of thousands of time without stepping in; all these should be made accountable and fined or dismissed. But as we do not live in a democratic society, nothing will change. The establishment will carry on regardless. I suppose we could write a letter to the Queen; but I bet she'd just feed it to her corgis. Wouldn't a real democracy with elected officials be a wonderful thing? Then we could sack the conceited bloodsuckers!
I have chronic back problems but it doesn't stop me working - I was brought up to see that working was better than living on benefits. Shameful behaviour!
Jeff Lebowski
27/11/2009 at 14:57
When you get to 80 sometimes your spelling suffers.
If I was at the DWP I would give oddlegs99 the money.