Woman who gets £30k in benefits for being ‘disabled’ caught after horse riding picture shared on Facebook

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A fraudster who claimed to be disabled to receive benefits was caught after a picture of her horse riding was shared on social media.

A woman who claimed to be disabled and received £30,000 in benefits was caught after a picture of her horse riding was shared on Facebook. Michelle Hanney, 51, had claimed she could only walk between 20m and 50m and needed to use a wheelchair when going outside.

She was then awarded both Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit totalling £33,711.24 between May 2021 and August last year. But Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators became suspicious of Hanney when they spotted a photo of her sitting atop a stallion on Facebook.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And during a surveillance operation, they took further pictures of her walking freely alongside a pony at a stables. Hanney, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to fraudulent activity at Sheffield Magistrates Court and was given a 12-month community order.

She was prosecuted on the basis of a lesser amount, £10,384.50, which the DWP say it will now try to recoup, but the overpayment still stands at £33,711.24.

Tom Pursglove MP, the minister responsible for tackling fraud, said the conviction was an example of how the government was 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.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice