Chelmsford Borough Council's Benefits Investigation and Legal Teams recently took Mrs Debra Bliss 52, of Pleshey Road, Chelmsford to court where she was found guilty on two counts of failing to declare that her husband was in receipt of an Armed Forces pension when claiming Housing and Council Tax benefits. Thursday 15 July 2010 Mrs Bliss had pleaded not guilty in respect of both charges, however she was found guilty after a trial at Chelmsford Magistrates Court. As a result of the false statements she made, Mrs Bliss was overpaid benefits in excess of £3,901. At a hearing in Chelmsford Magistrates Court on 13 July she was sentenced to a Conditional Discharge. The fraud came to light following receipt of information from the National Fraud Initiative database, matched against data from other agencies. Although Mrs Bliss received a Conditional Discharge, her overpayment must be paid back. Mrs Bliss was advised by the presiding Magistrate that this type of offence would normally bring a Community Service Order, however due to her personal circumstances; she would receive a Conditional Discharge to last for 18 months and she was ordered to pay £250 towards the cost of the prosecution within 14 days. The Magistrate told Mrs Bliss that she could never say that she was a woman of good character ever again in a Court of law, and stated that he found the evidence of the Council's officers to be more credible than the evidence she put forward in her defence.
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