A couple from Weston-super-Mare were sentenced yesterday for claiming thousands of pounds in benefit for 16 non existent children.
The Somerset pair exploited a loophole after realising they did not have to send children's birth certificates to tax officials to prove they existed.
The money was partly used by Danny Wilshaw and Nancy Stevenson (pictured left) for gambling. Its believed 58 year old Wilshaw would spend up to £600 a week to feed his betting habit while Stevenson admitted to drinking two bottles of brandy a day.
Wilshaw claimed more than £75,000 over four years and must serve half of a 20-month jail sentence.
Meanwile Stevenson was accused of claiming up to £11,000 in child tax credits over four years.
She was given a 12-month non-custodial order and must observe a strict curfew.
fter his arrest, Wilshaw, a gambling addict with 85 previous convictions for fraud, claimed he had done a public service by exposing the loophole.
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Wilshaw, who masterminded the scam, lived with Stevenson in a one-
room property in the town during the period they claimed for the bogus children.He used the money to fund a gambling habit which cost up to £600 per week, while she admitted to drinking two bottles of brandy a day.
Judge Michael Harrington described Wilshaw's record as "appalling" after it was revealed he had 105 theft convictions.
He was told he must serve 10 months of a 20-month prison sentence after being convicted of 42 fraud offences.
Stevenson, who admitted one charge of tax credit fraud, received a 12-month community order and was told she must wear a tag for four months.
After the case Sarah Bamford, of HM Revenue and Customs, said: "This case is the result of many months of intense and thorough work by a dedicated team of tax credit investigation officers, determined to see that these fraudsters were brought to justice."
