Benefits fraudster pocketed more than £50,000 after claiming he couldn’t walk or drive… then he was caught posing in cruise ship holiday photos
Nathan Wood was jailed after falsely claiming that severe rheumatoid arthritis left him unable to walk, work or drive, while continuing to work and drive. Bradford Crown Court heard that surveillance footage and photographs of him on a cruise helped expose the fraud, which lasted nine years and involved more than £53,800 in benefits.
Wood, 58, first claimed he needed a walking aid in 2018, then said in 2020 that he was wheelchair-bound; co-defendant Laura Clayton posed as his carer. Wood was sentenced to 16 months in prison and is repaying £65 a month, while Clayton received a five-month suspended sentence and must complete 80 hours of unpaid work. The judge said prolonged benefit fraud undermines the social security system.
- Nathan Wood claimed more than £53,800 in benefits over nine years.
- Surveillance showed him working, driving and walking.
- He was jailed for 16 months; his co-defendant received a suspended sentence.
New here? Start with this
Benefits fraud occurs when people claim government payments they are not entitled to. The social security system exists to help people who are genuinely unable to support themselves, but some people dishonestly claim benefits they do not need.
Nathan Wood told authorities that severe rheumatoid arthritis left him unable to work or drive, whilst a woman named Laura Clayton claimed to be his carer. Over nine years, this false claim allowed him to receive more than £53,800 in state benefits whilst he was actually working and driving normally.
Benefit fraud harms genuine claimants, as money paid out fraudulently is money not available to those who truly need support. It also erodes public confidence in the social security system.