Moment benefit cheat’s £32k scam is FOILED as he’s captured effortlessly carrying case of Aldi beer to his car

A DISABILITY benefit cheat accidentally revealed his £32,000 scam by going on a supermarket booze run

The thief, who said he had limited mobility, pleaded guilty to fraud after being caught on camera carrying a case of beer in Aldi and walking unaided to his local working men’s club.

Michael Johnson, 69, from Lytham St Annes, stole £32,368.70 in Personal Independence PaymentsDWP

The man was given a four-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Preston Crown Court this monthDWP

Surveillance footage also showed him loading a case of beer into his car and carrying furniture into a property.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told The Sun this case is “proof our crackdown on benefit fraud is working”.

Michael Johnson, 69, from Lytham St Annes, stole £32,368.70 in Personal Independence Payments and was given a four-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Preston Crown Court last week.

He was caught as part of DWP clamp down on benefit cheats, which according to the Government saved the taxpayer £1.1 billion last year.

Mr Stride said: “Fairness is at the heart of our welfare system. If you are disabled and in need of a helping hand, we will be there for you. But we will not tolerate those who try to cheat the taxpayer.

“Cases like this are proof our crack down on benefit fraud is working – thanks to our expert teams we plan to save the taxpayer £1.3bn this year and make sure our help goes to those who need it most.”

According to the DWP, the counter fraud clampdown, together with wider benefit checks and controls, saved at least £18 billion last year and saw fraud and error fall by 10 percent.

The Government is now pushing to go further with a target to save the taxpayer £1.3billion through counter fraud and error in 2023/24.

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