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When They Saw Her Facebook Photos, This Woman’s ‘Disability’ Benefits Dried Right Up

 

Sustaining a serious leg injury in 2007, 32-year-old Joy Taylor started collecting government benefits due to being disabled and ‘housebound.’

However, when she was well again in 2009, she continued to collect benefits from the British government, amassing an $145,601 over-payment for herself and her mother, reports Opposing Views.

Police caught on to her, however, when she started posting pictures such as this on Facebook (captured by The UK Telegraph):

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Shown partying at concerts and elsewhere, ‘housebound’ and disabled Joy Taylor was caught by fraud investigators and charged. The Telegraph reports that when caught, she initially put the blame elsewhere:

After being confronted, she blamed her mother, Linda, for the fraud.

How was her mother involved?:

The £1,500 a month claims were made on the basis that Taylor’s mother was providing an average 135 hours of assistance a month to help her daughter with day to day living.

 

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But Taylor was also playing an active role, by continuing to claim disability and transferring large amounts of money intended for her care into her account. Both Taylor and her mother were prosecuted for the crime:

Prosecutor Mark Styles said that Taylor and her mother had received an over-payment of up to £95,000 and the pair, from Newton Aycliffe, each admitted making false representations for gain.

Taylor got a 14 month sentence suspended for a year while her mother got 12 months, also suspended for a year.

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According to the Mirror, Taylor got a suspended sentence because she was a mother. This is despite the fact that she left the child with babysitters while she was out partying:

Judge Simon Hickey told her: “I am prepared to suspend the sentence and the only reason I feel constrained is because you have a young son who may suffer if you went to prison.

“That would be unfair on a completely innocent victim and that is the sentence – although you richly deserve to go to prison.”

Taylor apologized after the case, speaking of her son, Rhys, who was “born with a heart condition and needed open heart surgery”:

“I definitely had a good time, I loved going out and dancing, seeing bands, enjoying myself, but that’s all over now. I’ve calmed down, I want to get a job and carry on being a good mum to Rhys.”

“I was terrified I would lose him,” she added. “Thankfully he is a healthy boy. I wasn’t sent to prison but I’m going to use the chance to hopefully get a job and start again.”

Taylor and her mother are reported to no longer be speaking to one another.

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