Disability benefit claimant rode in speedway and taught exercise class
- Published
Stephen Hodgkinson was found to have competed in speedway races
A disability benefit claimant who said he was virtually unable to walk and needed a wheelchair was discovered to have been competing in speedway races and teaching an exercise class.
Stephen Hodgkinson, 58, of Harvest Road, Smethwick, West Midlands, started receiving benefits in 2002.
The Department for Work and Pensions said he had claimed more than £90,000.
Hodgkinson was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years.
He claimed he needed 24-hour care, but an investigation in 2019 uncovered evidence he was the lead as a health representative for a local trust and was involved in competitive speedway, the DWP said.
He also taught a cycling exercise class, called Vibe.
Hodgkinson admitted failing to report a change in circumstances and dishonest representation in order to obtain benefits.
He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk , external
- Published25 February 2020
- Published19 December 2019
- Published30 July 2019
- Published11 July 2019
- Published8 July 2019
