- .Criminals who say they couldn't walk caught boxing, dancing and climbing
- .Deal or No Deal contestant did not tell officials she won £95,000 on TV
- .Paralympic gold medalist claimed for taxis but got his wife to drive him
- .Benefits fraud went up last year to £1.2billion, just 1 in 4 was jailed
- .Iain Duncan Smith warns no 'right to a free ride' in New Year crackdown
Benefits cheats who claimed they were virtually unable to walk have been caught playing cricket, training dogs, sparring in a boxing ring and performing as a drag queen.
The roll-call of 10 of the most outrageous attempts to defraud this year also includes a topless model, a Paralympic gold medallist and a contestant on Deal or No Deal.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith warned anyone who thinks they have a ‘right to a free ride’ they will not get away with it as the government prepares to roll-out a New Year blitz on benefits scams.
Mark Hawthorn received £88,000 in benefits claiming he could barely walk and needed around the clock care to help him get out of bed but was caught secretly working as a drag queen called Aunt Tilly.
Benefit fraud cost the taxpayer more than £1.2 billion last year, up by £100million on 2011-12 in a blow for Tory promises to cut the amount of taxpayers’ money which is lost.
In addition to monitoring benefits claimants and their activity, investigators also trawl Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to unearth proof that they are not as ill or poor as they claim.
Investigators say some fraudsters ‘make it easy’ by appearing on stage, sports pitches or TV game shows.
This year alone they have caught a clairvoyant who claimed £114,000 in benefits while owning two homes, a man who said he was left breathless by two minutes of physical activity who captained the Norfolk County Darts Team and a woman who could barely walk caught striding up steep hills while taking part in the treasure hunt game ‘geocaching’.
Pensioner Sylvia Wootton (left) claimed to be unable to walk but was filmed training four dogs while clairvoyant Christina Green claimed £114,000 in benefits but did not declare that she had two homes
'Some people seem to think they have the right to a free ride... I have a simple message for them: you will not get away with it'
Iain Duncan Smith
Each member of the rogue’s gallery was taken to court, but just one was sent to jail. The government has been stung by claims it is failing to act on tough rhetoric against cheats.
Three quarters of welfare cheats get away without punishment from the courts, official figures show although officials insist many could still face civil action or be forced to return taxpayers' cash.
Legal action was ruled out in 35,000 cases last year, with only 9,836 prosecuted by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Crown Prosecution Service.
And of those found guilty of ripping off the benefits system, just 4 per cent were handed a custodial sentence.
Model Nicola Haighton, who has posed for FHM as a 'High Street Honey', claimed to be a single parent but failed to tell officials she got married in a lavish £6,000 ceremony
However ministers insist that the new Single Fraud Investigation Service, rolled out nationwide from January, will make it harder to cheat the system by bringing together the work of Department for Work and Pensions, local authorities and HMRC fraud investigation under one roof.
Mr Duncan Smith told MailOnline: ‘I am determined to root out benefit fraud and punish the unscrupulous minority who are responsible for carrying it out.
‘Some people seem to think they have the right to a free ride - or see the welfare state as a money making scam - and I have a simple message for them: you will not get away with it.
'Benefit fraud is a particularly galling crime at this time of year when honest people can find it hard to pay bills and give their families a memorable Christmas'
Alison Saunders,Director of Public Prosecutions
‘In the New Year we will introduce a number of new initiatives to strengthen our arm in the fight against fraud.’
Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, added: 'We take firm action against criminals who dishonestly cheat the system designed to protect the most vulnerable people in our society.
'Benefit fraud is a particularly galling crime at this time of year when honest people can find it hard to pay bills and give their families a memorable Christmas.
'But taxpayers can be assured that the CPS will bring robust prosecutions, which should be a clear message that this crime doesn’t pay.'
Several fraudsters were caught out this year by a taste for the limelight.
Should have seen it coming: Clairvoyant caught after claiming £100,000 in benefits
Clairvoyant Christina Green was unable to predict her future prosecution after cheating the taxpayer out of £114,000 in benefits.
She failed to declare that she owned two houses in Herne Bay, Kent, dodging thousands of pounds of council tax.
Benefit cheat: Clairvoyant Christina Green described herself her as 'one of Britain's most exciting spiritual mediums' on her website
But she escaped a prison sentence despite being found guilty of fraud. Instead she was handed a 12 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.
She conned a total of £114,000 in benefits and was only caught when she applied for more benefits and officials from Canterbury City Council and the Department for Work and Pensions investigated her.
Drag queen called Glitterlips who mimed to Diana Ross on stage falsely claimed £88,000
Mark Hawthorn claimed he could barely walk and needed around the clock care to help him get out of bed.
He received £88,000 in benefits over almost a decade, but was secretly working as a drag queen called Aunt Tilly.
Drag queen: In total, he fraudulently claimed £84,534 and admitted two further counts of knowingly and fraudulently evading national insurance payments and income tax to the tune of £3,759
The 49-year-old was the star of a drag act called Glitterlips where he would don frocks and wigs to mime to songs by Tina Turner and Diana Ross.
He was caught out when fraud investigators discovered a video of him in action in a blonde wig, high heels and a cocktail party dress, which had been uploaded on YouTube and Facebook.
He was jailed for six months at Stafford Crown Court after admitting three counts of failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change of circumstances and two counts of fraud.
Deal or No Deal winner kept pocketing benefits despite £95,000 win on TV
Caroline Banana from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire claimed benefits despite winning £95,000 on Deal or No Deal.
She continued to receive housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit after winning the money.
In April she was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 215 hours of unpaid work and ordered to repay all the money she owed after admitting six counts of fraud ahead of her trial.
Caroline Banana claimed benefits despite winning £95,000 on Deal or No Deal
Miss Banana from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, continued to receive housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit after winning money on the TV show
Topless 'high street honey' who falesly claimed she was single caught after posting wedding photos on Facebook
Topless model Nicola Haighton, who posed for FHM as a 'High Street Honey', received almost £4,000 claiming to be a single mother.
But she was caught out after investigators found pictures of her wedding on Facebook.
She was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £100 costs.
'A princess for a day': The model said her and her husband split two days after the £6,000 ceremony. However, speaking today she said they are now back together and live with their son Keaton, three
The model was first investigated by officials at the Department of Work and Pensions when they received a tip-off she was about to marry brewery worker Daniel Riding.
They checked her Facebook page to discover pictures of the newlywed showing off a diamond engagement ring with the caption: 'My sparkler - 3 diamonds...meaning i love you!!!'
Another caption read: '18ct gold going into platinum - love love love it!!'
The officials then checked with the registrar’s office and noted the date for the £6,000 ceremony at the luxurious Eaves Hall.
The mother, who had a breast enhancement treatment to help with her modelling career, said she had married on a ‘whim’ and regretted it straight away.
Caught out! Benefit cheat who claimed he could barely walk played cricket for his local club
A benefits cheat who claimed he could barely get out of bed was caught out playing cricket for his local club.
Stewart Lorains pocketed more than £22,000 in Disability Living Allowance while regularly competing for Boosbeck, east Cleveland.
The 53-year-old claimed to have diabetes, asthma and psoriatic arthropathy - an arthritic condition - and needed daily help from his sister for everyday tasks.
Stewart Lorains pocketed more than £22,000 in benefits claiming he could not walk, but was filmed keeping wicket for his local cricket club
He started claiming benefits in 2008, but within a year was a ‘great deal better’, Teeside Crown Court was told in October this year.
Between 2009 and 2012 Lorrains played in 41 cricket matches, scoring 614 runs.
He received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.
Paralympic gold medal winner claimed £10,000 for taxis but his wife drove him instead
Judo star Simon Jackson claimed benefits for taxis and got his wife to drive him
A blind Paralympian athlete who has won three gold medals issued a tearful apology after he was caught fraudulently claiming £10,000 for taxi rides he didn't make.
Simon Jackson, 40, an MBE and Britain's most decorated judo star, took the money claiming he needed it to pay for cab fares to work.
He escaped jail in January after insisting he was 'ashamed' of his conduct and had been subjected to abuse following his exposure. But he was handed a four-month community order and a curfew.
Inspectors from the Department of Work and Pensions exposed Jackson after they saw his wife Sarah, 29, driving him to a school where he is employed as a student learning mentor for Rochdale Council, in Greater Manchester.
Inquiries revealed there was no record of the visually impaired athlete - who won Paralympic gold at Seoul '88, Barcelona '92 and Atlanta '96 - using taxis under the Government's Access to Work payment during a ten month period.
Jackson, from Littleborough, near Oldham, who admitted benefit fraud, escaped jail after insisting he was 'ashamed' of his conduct and had been subjected to abuse following his exposure.
Cheat 'unable to take more than a few steps' went on outdoor treasure hunts
A benefit cheat who claimed she was unable to take more than a few steps was caught going on outdoor treasure hunts.
Emma Hughes from Kingsmead, Puddletown, Dorchester, claimed she could hardly walk but took part in ‘geocaching’, which can involve long walks over difficult terrain, climbing trees and caving.
She received £1,465 in benefits but photos and details of her exploits were posted on Twitter and Geocache websites. Weymouth Magistrates handed her a 4-month curfew and community sentence.
Emma Hughes from Dorset said she could not walk but was filmed climbing steep hills while 'geocaching'
Benefit cheat who 'could barely walk' was a darts player
Kelvin Self, from Lowestoft in Suffolk, received £9,800 in disability benefits over four years, claiming he was only able to walk for two to three minutes before he was breathless and in pain.
But investigators found him walking for three hours, and he was captain of the Norfolk County darts team.
In April he was handed an eight-week suspended prison sentence.
Kelvin Self claimed to be unable to walk for a few minutes but was captain of the Norfolk County darts team
Benefit cheat worked as a BOXING instructor and was filmed sparring in outdoor ring
A benefit cheat who claimed he could not walk claimed £20,000 in benefits - despite being a boxing instructor.
Mark Ashman, 51, pocketed thousands after he told the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) his arthritis was so bad he required round-the-clock care.
But he was exposed when fraud investigators found YouTube footage of him sparring with a partner in an outdoor boxing ring.
The brazen boxer's open-air display was part of last year's Olympic torch relay. He was spared jail at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty early on.
Mark Ashman told the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) his arthritis was so bad he required round-the-clock care but was filmed sparring in an outdoor boxing ring
Brought to heel! Pensioner who 'couldn't walk' worked as a dog trainer and competed in shows
Pensioner Sylvia Wootton was brought to heel by investigators who exposed her claims to be unable to walk after she was filmed training four dogs.
The 68-year-old from Billacombe near Plymouth was secretly filmed walking and competing with her dogs in shows across the country.
Convicted: Sylvia Wootton, 68, was handed a three-month suspended sentence after this image emerged
She claimed she could not walk more than 50 yards after a car accident and received £16,232 in benefits over four years.
In November this year she was she was handed a three-month suspended prison sentence.
Last year the Financial Investigation Unit used 271 orders to confiscate £8.9million from offenders, up from £6million a year earlier.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Alison Saunders, said: 'We take firm action against criminals who dishonestly cheat the system designed to protect the most vulnerable people in our society.
'When benefits cheats are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, the vast majority of them are finding themselves in court - we are prosecuting more than three quarters of those cases referred to us by DWP, and the latest conviction rate is over 88%.
'We have a team of specialist fraud lawyers and the cases highlighted by the MailOnline today are testament to their professionalism and dedication.
'Taking over prosecutions for the DWP since 2012, the CPS has bolstered its resources and expertise to support law enforcement in the fight against fraud. It also means efficient prosecutions with charges that fit the crime, reflect the seriousness of the offending and allow the courts to sentence accordingly.
'My prosecutors are well aware that this is far from a victimless crime. Benefit fraud costs the country many millions and we keep this is at the forefront of our minds when presenting cases to the courts for sentencing.
'Benefit fraud is a particularly galling crime at this time of year when honest people can find it hard to pay bills and give their families a memorable Christmas.
'But taxpayers can be assured that the CPS will bring robust prosecutions, which should be a clear message that this crime doesn’t pay.'
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