A woman from Carlton who failed to attend two court appearances was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid community service and must repay £3,666.22 of fraudulently claimed benefits to Gedling Borough Council.
Donna Wilde, 31, of Cavendish Road, had been claiming housing and council tax benefits as a single parent by failing to declare changes in her circumstances. Ms Wilde did not inform Gedling Borough Council that her partner Timothy Lawson had moved in with her and was in paid employment, nor did she declare that she had started paid employment and had begun to receive more tax credits.
Gedling Borough Council wrote to Ms Wilde asking her to attend an interview under caution and offered three appointment dates. She explained to the council that she could not attend one of the dates, but did not attend an agreed alternative interview date.
Ms Wilde then failed to attend her initial hearing at Nottingham Magistrates Court on 14 August and a second hearing on 28 August 2015, after which Magistrates ordered a warrant for her arrest.
On appearing before the court on September 8, Ms Wilde was sentenced to a community order for 12 months with an unpaid work requirement of 100 hours and ordered to pay £480 costs. The total civil debt of £3,666.22 must also be repaid.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said: “We are pleased that the court issued an arrest warrant in this case. Hopefully it will act as a warning to people that if you do not attend your appointments or court, a warrant could be issued for your arrest. Ignoring the situation will not fix it.”
