Mother-of-three who pocketed £20K in benefits by falsely claiming to be on her own despite secretly living with her estranged husband is spared jail

A mother-of-three who falsely claimed more than £20,000 in benefits has avoided jail.

Chantelle Crookes, 32, claimed to be the only adult occupant at her home so she could fraudulently claim Universal Credit and council tax support from Breckland District Council in Norfolk.

She did not tell authorities that her previously estranged husband Shane Lord had moved back into her home and continued to claim low-income benefits to which she was not entitled.

Her bills were discounted for almost four years between February 2021 and September 2024 until benefits staff uncovered her fraud.

Crookes was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours

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