SHEFFIELD COUPLE CAUGHT FAKING DISABILITIES IN £57,000 BENEFITS SCAM
A mother and father coerced their children into wetting themselves and pretending they couldn't speak as part of a £57,000 benefits scam.Edward Gajdos, aged 37, and Maria Horvothova from Sheffield, actively encouraged their children to misbehave and act in bizarre ways to fraudulently claim benefits they were not entitled to.
Their scheme started when Gajdos encountered an individual who promised to help them persuade their GP and the Department for Work and Pensions that their children had behavioral problems.
This individual charged them £50 for each application made between 2014 and 2017.
The scam was uncovered when social services tipped off the police that the children had been told to act up.
The parents had been claiming disability allowance and carers allowance for their children under false pretenses.
Prosecutor Katy Rafter revealed that one of their children was instructed to wet herself repeatedly between the ages of 10 and 13, with both parents falsely claiming she had to wear nappies and needed frequent bathroom visits.
During court proceedings, the children were removed from their parents' care and were found to be 'quiet and polite'.
These children have since been returned to their parents and now live with them.
The court was told that both Gajdos and Horvothova, who required a translator, admitted their guilt early and cooperated fully with police interviews.
It was also disclosed that they had repaid only £338 of the money owed to the DWP.
The judge, Recorder Michael Fanning, sentenced them to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered them to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
The money owed will be recovered from future benefits they claim lawfully.
