A mother of four who claimed her children and husband were severely disabled in order to claim £112,000 in benefits to fund her celebrity-obsessed lifestyle is facing jail.
Jayne McKnight, 45, falsely claimed that her four children had epilepsy and severe learning difficulties and that her husband David, 47, suffered from gout and could not work.In fact, only one of her children – who are aged ten to 25 – suffers from epilepsy and McKnight’s husband is perfectly fit and healthy and works as a van driver.It was in 2003 that she first claimed for just one of her children, who genuinely suffered from epilepsy, picking up child tax credits to the tune of £3,900 a year.But from 2006 she claimed that all of her children were severely disabled and that her husband was reliant on her care, which boosted the payments to over £15,000 a year.She also lied about supporting her family by working as a temp which enabled her to claim £18,000 for non-existent childcare.She spent her ill gotten gains on concert tickets and backstage passes, touring up and down the country to meet her celebrity idols including Susan Boyle, Ronan Keating and the late Stephen Gately from Boyzone, as well as boy bands Westlife, JLS and The Wanted.She travelled around the country to dozens of X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent auditions to meet contestants such as Alexandra Burke, posing for photos with them and posting them online in an album she called ‘my famous mates’.McKnight splashed out on flat-screen TVs, Xbox gaming consoles, hi-fi equipment and laptops for herself and the children, but investigators believe most of the cash went on tickets because McKnight said she was ‘happiest when at a gig’.The scam came to light after investigators were given a tip-off, but even after she was caught, McKnight continued to cheat the system by making false claims for housing and council tax benefits two days after she was arrested.Investigators also found out that in 2000 McKnight was convicted for family credit and income support fraud and was handed a seven-year suspended sentence for a total of 301 offences, four of them for fraud.Mike O’Grady, assistant director of criminal investigation for HMRC, said: “Between 2003 and 2010 Jayne McKnight consistently lied about her circumstances, knowing full well that this would increase the amount of money she was awarded.“She probably thought she would never be found out, but she was wrong.“We are investing £900million in our drive against fraud, be that tax avoidance, evasion or criminal attack, and we will investigate suspicious claims and pursue fraudsters. We have a duty, the ability and the determination to do so.”Manchester debt firm is liquidated owing creditors over £2.2m
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