Free because she's pregnant with her NINTH child, the 'single mother' who falsely claimed £78,000 in benefits

  • Julia Deaves said she was a single parent while but was living with partner
  • Investigators became suspicious when they found official forms filled in by her common-law husband
  • Deaves admitted fraudulently claiming income support, housing benefit and council tax

By Paul Milligan

PUBLISHED: 14:38 EST, 17 September 2012 | UPDATED: 07:06 EST, 21 September 2012

Benefits cheat Julia Deaves, 39, a mother of eight who cheated taxpayers out of £78,000 walked free from court because there is no one else to look after her children

Fraud: Mother-of-eight Julia Deaves, 39, cheated taxpayers out of £78,000 but walked free from court

A pregnant mother of eight who falsely claimed £78,000 by saying she was single walked free yesterday after her lawyer told the judge there was no one else to look after her children.

Julia Deaves, 39, admitted at Cardiff Crown Court to fraudulently claiming income support, housing benefit and council tax as a lone parent, while living with her partner.

Investigators became suspicious when they found official forms filled in by her common-law husband Michael Mountstephens.

A court heard Mr Mountstephens put Deaves down as his next of kin and used her address for work, banking and car insurance. He even had Deaves as a 'named driver' of his car.

The mother, from Ely, Cardiff, admitted fraudulently claiming income support, housing benefit and council tax as a lone mum.

The court heard how she collected more than £25,000-a-year in benefits while living with her partner who was in full employment.

Deaves turned up at Cardiff Crown Court with a suitcase ready to start a prison sentence.

But her lawyer pleaded for Deaves not to be sent to prison because of the hardship it would cause to her children.

Cora Sorenson, defending said: 'I don’t want to pull at the heartstrings but there is no one to fill the breach if she is not at home - that is the harsh reality. And quite frankly she would do anything to avoid going into custody.'

 

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Judge Jonathan Ferris gave her a suspended sentence after taking into account her circumstances - including her large family.

Judge Ferris told her: 'You stole £78,000 in benefits from the taxpayer and there is no prospect of repayment.

Investigators became suspicious when they found official forms filled in Julia Deaves' common-law husband Michael Mountstephens

Investigators became suspicious when they found official forms filled in Julia Deaves' common-law husband Michael Mountstephens

The court heard Deaves collected more than £25,000-a-year in benefits while living with her partner who was in full employment

The court heard Deaves collected more than £25,000-a-year in benefits while living with her partner who was in full employment

Deaves was given a suspended sentence at Cardiff Crown Court because of the hardship er imprisonment would cause her children

Deaves was given a suspended sentence at Cardiff Crown Court because of the hardship er imprisonment would cause her children

'If you took 20 people from the streets of Cardiff, at random, gave them the facts and asked what they would do with her, the majority would say send her to prison.

'This is not sentencing by democracy but that would be their opinion.'

Deaves was given a 12-month suspended sentence with a six month night-time curfew.

The court heard Deaves’ oldest daughter is 19 and expecting her second child.

 

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Why not just stop paying child benefit all together? Sick of having to pay for everyone else's kids, booze, holidays etc. Surely if you decide to have children, you should be responsible for them. The only pay outs people should get is a type of income support for people with disabilites who have had to stop working because of it, or a temporary job seekers allowance for people who unexpectedly (and through no fault of their own) have lost their jobs/been made redundant etc. Why should hard-working tax payers be expected to pay for anything else?

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There are still some out there, who say this country is not going down the pan.

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CAT47,there is no equality act ,only acts to ensure that men have no natural advantages;ie;A feminists charter,why else would you get quotas, positive discimination,freebies and deliberate dumbing down of male jobs in order to bump the % of female candidates.Where else would you get a glorified education system that did it's best to ensure girls pass and males fail. The government law arm explicitly told judges to go easy on women,is that equality? Feminism has done a good job of ensuring we all see women as victims and it continues very nicely thank you ,due to donations from individuals,from 32,000 orgs.which cater solely for women. Thre never will be equality all the time that government ministers waste their time all day on trivia.

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One of the things DWP should look into is the amount of Children in foster care or residential care and parents are still claiming - family allowance - DLA - living in a 3/4 bed social housing - The state is paying twice for them - once to the parents still claiming the benefits and also for their children to be looked after by others - can't believe there isn't a system to notify DWP when children become looked after - also think its time that after your third child you no longer are entitled to benefits or help with housing etc - if you choose to have a large family you should be able to pay for it - also think that social housing should be reviewed regularly and if your circumstances change - you should be required to move - why should someone who it technically get subsided rent be allowed a house for life - if I can afford my mortgage - I would have to sell and move .

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How the hell is this allowed to continally happen??

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Time for child benefit for first TWO children only, We won't see many large family's after that came in except for people that WORK to pay for them .

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Another idiot judge who says people would want you to go to prison but I am going to be a fairy godfather and let you off. This is why they do this. Benefits for only two should be paid. This system is broken and are judges are completely out of touch with reality.

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"The court heard Deaves¿ oldest daughter is 19 and expecting her second child." - and so the cycle of claiming welfare goes on. I've already pencilled in 60 hours work for next week, been working 7 days for weeks now and had no time off since April. Still, some of us have to pay to keep this woman's kids and grandkids don't we? I watched Panorama and I'd hate to be shameless like these people.

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More JOKE 'justice' from the UK's ivory tower morons. No prospect of repayment? Pull the other one.

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Sack the judge-not fit for purpose

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