Woman obtained £1,627 from council by fraud

A WARRINGTON woman fraudulently received more than £1,600 in council tax support payments after falsely claiming she was a single parent.
In fact, she was married and living with her husband, magistrates heard at Warrington.
Emma Peacey, 37 of Derek Avenue, Orford admitted dishonestly claiming council tax support.
The support overpayment raised for this offence amounted to £1,627.69.
Peacey was placed on a curfew from 9pm to 6am for 16 weeks, fined £85 victim surcharge and ordered to pay costs of £500. She was also ordered to repay the original overpayment in full.
The court heard Peacey had originally been offered a financial penalty for committing the offence as an alternative to being prosecuted and gaining a criminal record. She had accepted this, but then failed to pay the penalty although she had been given several opportunities and it had been explained clearly the consequences of non-payment.