St Helens woman who faked cancer and claimed £22k jailed

Clarke fraudulently claimed personal independence payments between 2016 and 2019

A woman who lied about having cancer to fraudulently claim more than £22,000 in benefits was a "fraudster" with a "dishonest vein that runs through your body", a judge has said.

Joan Lesley Clarke forged letters from a cancer centre to claim money from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Judge David Aubrey KC said Clarke's offences were "brazen" and "serious".

The 62-year-old from St Helens admitted eight counts of fraud and was jailed for 10 months at Liverpool Crown Court.

The hearing was told Clarke had claimed £22,941.01 in personal independence payments between 2016 and 2019.

'Crack down'

Sentencing her, Judge Aubrey said a letter Clarke had forged, which she had claimed was from Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Wirral, was the beginning of a lie she "continued to make on many occasions".

"You did not have cancer," he told her.

"You were not terminally ill, you were not and did not have a chronic condition, but you maintained dishonestly throughout that you did, even when the medical evidence from Clatterbridge had been obtained that showed you were not suffering from cancer."

He said rather than admit her lie, Clarke had further claimed in January 2018 that her cancer had worsened and she was receiving increased treatment.

"These are, in my judgement, serious offences," the judge said.

He said Clarke had "previous convictions for dishonesty" and while he would not "treat them as aggravating the seriousness" of her offences, they showed that "regrettably, you seem to have a dishonest vein that runs through your body".

"You are a fraudster and were for a number of years," he said.

Speaking after sentencing, a DWP representative said the case showed the department was "working tirelessly to crack down on fraudsters who take money away from those who need our support most".