A Hollywood actor and former Coronation Street star who appeared in the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film has been convicted of benefit fraud.
Ian Mercer was sentenced after falsely claiming £2,300 in council tax.The 49-year-old admitted failing to notify Northumberland County Council of his change of circumstances when he appeared at Bedlington magistrates court last week.Mercer, who played Gary Mallett in Coronation Street between 1995 and 2000, has also appeared in many hit shows including Shameless, Heartbeat, A Touch of Frost, Peak Practice, Waking the Dead.He also starred in blockbuster Master and Commander alongside Russell Crowe.The actor had been living with his now-estranged wife and two daughters in a rented home in Bothal Barns in Pegswood, Northumberland, claiming council tax benefit for 12 months prior to the breakdown of his marriage.Prosecutor Anna Barker said an anonymous allegation had been made that Mercer had been working, but failed to declare it, and had not declared the £200,000 sale of a property in his home town of Oldham, Lancashire in January 2009.Mercer and his wife were both interviewed and it was established that Mrs Mercer was not to blame.According to The Daily Telegraph, Richard Graham, defending, said: "He has not just made arrangements for repayment, but has repaid the full amount to the local authority. He fully cooperated in interview and has been fully open and honest."What appears to have been the problem is that Mr Mercer's employment is very on and off. Often he's signing on and signing off for employment and housing allowance."Unfortunately Mr Mercer was separating form his wife and it wasn't entirely amicable, and there was no communication going back and forth."Mr Graham said his client thought that stopping his unemployment benefit claim meant that any other benefits he was getting would be stopped automatically.He said: "The council tax benefit is a deduction so it wasn't the case that he was actually receiving the money."It was simply a mistake on his behalf. Mr Mercer also informs me that during this period of time, he has been liaising with the council to ensure this doesn't happen again."The systems are now actually linked so this can't happen again. He's very sorry. He will be much more careful in the future."Mercer had started signing on the dole again two weeks ago.He said: "I'm in and out of work. I've been out of work since November. I consider signing on as an admission of failure so I don't immediately sign on."Sometimes I've been working abroad or work has been on and off so sometimes my national insurance contributions have not been enough to make a claim."Mr Mercer was fined £165 with a £15 victim surcharge and £100 costs.Manchester debt firm is liquidated owing creditors over £2.2m
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