Benefits cheat caught out after being snapped riding a horse

Michelle raked in over £30,000 in benefits (Image: SWNS) Michelle Hanney, a 51-year-old woman, had claimed she could only walk short distances, between 20m (65ft) and 50m (165ft), and relied on a wheelchair when venturing outside. As a result, she was granted both Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit, amounting to a staggering £33,711.24 between May 2021 and August of the previous year. However, suspicions were raised by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators when they stumbled upon a photograph of Hanney atop a horse on Facebook. This discovery prompted a surveillance operation, during which further images were captured of Hanney freely walking alongside a pony at a local stable. Hanney, from Rotherham in South Yorkshire, pled guilty to fraudulent activity at Sheffield Magistrates Court. She was given a 12-month community order. Although she was prosecuted for a lesser amount, £10,384.50, the DWP intends to recover the full overpayment of £33,711.24. Michelle Hanney pictured leading a horse (Image: SWNS) Tom Pursglove MP, the minister responsible for combating fraud, highlighted this conviction as a testament to the Government’s commitment to cracking down on benefit cheats. He said: ‘The vast majority of disability benefit claims are correct, and we know the difference that these benefits can make to people. ‘However, there is a small minority of people out to cheat the system. ‘This conviction is another example of our relentless focus on finding those taking the taxpayer for a ride and bringing them to justice.’ This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up  Express.co.uk ‘s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to  readercomplaints@reachplc.com .