Welsh Benefits Cheat Lived The Life In Thailand...

[beer monkey]

Benefit thief claimed £11,000 while living in sun-soaked Thailand

Mar 19 2009 by Robin Turner, Western Mail

A 31-YEAR-OLD fraudulently claimed more than £11,000 in benefits – while living 6,000 miles away in sun-soaked Thailand.

Thomas Clancey, 31 – who was helped to carry out the long-distance fraud by his 52-year-old teacher mother Sybil Ellen Lloyd – even got married during his 18 months on benefits in the Far East.

At Swansea Magistrates Court yesterday, Lloyd, of Pentre Niklaus Village, Llanelli, was fined a total of £840 after admitting to three specimen charges of dishonestly allowing her son to falsely claim benefits.

She filled in his benefit forms for him and arranged for the money to be transferred to him.


Shaven headed Clancey – a former drug addict now living back in Loughor, Swansea – was given a 12-month community service order after admitting falsely claiming the money between 2005 and 2007.

When living in Thailand, he was receiving his disability, income support and housing benefits while failing to point out he had left the chalet where he had been living at Limeslade, Mumbles.

John Allchurch, prosecuting, said for many years, Clancey claimed severe disability allowance and income support from the Department of Work and Pensions and housing benefit and council tax allowance from Swansea Council.

But on August 4, 2005, despite claiming he was unable to work because of mental health and other problems, Clancey flew to Thailand planning to spend three months there.

However, he travelled widely around the country, even going as far as the border with Cambodia to renew his visa and stayed a total of 18 months.

At no time did he or his mother mention to the authorities he was in Thailand.

During the year and a half abroad, Clancey got married and throughout the stay his mother, a respected teacher at a school in Gorseinon, passed on his benefits to him.

She had arranged to have her son’s benefits paid into her bank account.

When he left the country she transferred money from her account into her son’s account which he picked up in Thailand.

On his return he was interviewed by officials and admitted what he had done.

His mother made “no comment” answers but her solicitor Simon Howell said yesterday she accepted she had done wrong.

The magistrates were told yesterday that the total of £11,268 paid to Clancey while he was abroad has now been repaid in full.

Mr Howell said that, ironically, Clancey’s time in Thailand “was good for him” and when he returned he was off drugs and on coming back to Swansea got a job as a mini-bus driver.
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some welsh news website.

[Astana]

586,107.83 Baht at 32,561.00 a month over 18 months... should become UK government policy and smartly gets rid of the lack tourist problem. With 2 million unemployed in the UK, there must be few volunteers. Excellent job creation scheme. =D>

[BobHelm]

Housing benefit I can understand is a cheat, as obviously not needed(although it would have been far cheaper to set him up in somewhere like Top Mansion for a month than what they pay in UK), but disability benefit??
I would have thought he would be still disabled where ever he was....the fact that his disabilities are now cured & he is working would be a win/win for everybody I would have thought!!

[Juan Kosoff]

And they money was re payed, good result.

[Astana]

I love a happy ending.

Better than those doom and gloom articles from the other bloke. :-"

[westerby]

A 31-YEAR-OLD fraudulently claimed more than £11,000 in benefits – while living 6,000 miles away in sun-soaked Thailand.

...and I wonder how many other shyster Brits are doing the same thing.

[Laemthong]

I met an English chap in Udon that told me he was on disability benefit but I didn't think he was a sponger. He had a car crash that left him brain damaged. It was evident from him that he lacked concentration and he indeed admitted this.

He was moving on to Laos but I got the impression it was all above board as he had his trip worked out to a tee. He was staying with his lady in Vientiane then going back to the UK. I've never drawn DB so I'm not aware of the rules.

Cheers.

[westerby]

There are people claiming UK benefits that they are not entitled to when they are living in Thailand. End of argument.

[BobHelm]

There are people claiming UK benefits that they are not entitled to when they are living in Thailand. End of argument.

I dare say that there are westerby, but I doubt that they get away with it for very long...
I guess it is a very small drop in the ocean though compared to the benefits fraud being committed in the UK, especially concerned around "housing benefit".

[westerby]

Claiming Housing Benefit while in Thailand is not so difficult. You lodge in a house owned by a friend and claim it as your personal residence using the Local Housing Allowance Scheme. The Govt. pay the benefit if you're on a low income. Benefits will be paid into your bank account and can be transferred out to Thailand through a friend who has your ATM card. The UK authorities do not have the resources to check on everyone and rely on people 'phoning their snoop lines. So long as you stay quiet and come back to the UK on a regular basis, you should be OK.