Woman breaks down in tears after court hears how investigators found hidden accounts
18:11, 29 Aug 2025Updated 18:20, 29 Aug 2025
Susan Pearson, from Wigan, outside Bolton Crown Court (Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) LTD)
A woman broke down in tears as her false Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claim was exposed in court. Susan Pearson, from Wigan, appeared in Bolton Crown Court on Wednesday (August 27) after it emerged she had dishonestly claimed tens of thousands of pounds.
The 58-year-old told officials she was single, unemployed and had no savings or investments to fall back on and then claimed more than £40,000 over a five-year period. Investigators eventually uncovered two accounts Pearson held with Nationwide. She had undeclared savings that totalled £40,616.37 and a pension account with Co-Funds. The maximum capital limit for those claiming Universal Credit is £16,000. The court heard how Pearson withdrew a lump sum of £13,000 in one month.
Ellie Watson, prosecuting, said: “On May 21, 2018, the defendant submitted an online application to claim Universal Credit saying she was single, unemployed and that she had no savings, income, investments or other capital.
“The DWP later received information from a data match that the defendant held an account with Nationwide and an investment account with Co-Funds which had not been declared on her application form despite agreeing that she had provided all the information.
“A request to the Operational Intelligence Unit within DWP took place in June 2023 requesting details of any bank accounts held by the defendant during the period in which she was claiming Universal Credit.
“It was identified that she held two accounts with Nationwide which showed capital above the permitted limit of £16,000. Statements of transactions were supplied for both the accounts and are seen to have far in excess of the permitted limit, reaching up to £40,616.37.”
The court heard the amount of Universal Credit overpaid to Pearson was £40,334.21 while she also received a council tax reduction of £536.22 she was not entitled to.
”The [DWP] claim was fraudulent from the outset and being over a five year period was made over a prolonged period of time,” added Miss Watson.
“On March 30, 2023, the defendant made a claim for Council Tax reduction. The application was successful and she was therefore in receipt of a reduction from April 3, 2023.”
The court heard Pearson is currently legitimately claiming £55 a week in carer’s allowance to help look after her 83-year-old mother. In mitigation, Pearson’s lawyer Martin Pizzey said: “The defendant is rather overwhelmed by what is going on around her but she wants me to stress that she knows she did something wrong. She now has the one account from which she is living.”
He added: ”I would describe this defendant as rather fragile and she was very worried and frightened by the whole process. It appears that when her marriage broke down, through no fault of her own, she was not prepared for the single life. She has no siblings, only her mother survives and she has no children.
“She has tried to pay the money to the DWP and they have refused to take it and are instead taking a small deduction from her carer’s allowance. She has substantial responsibility looking for her mother.”
Pearson herself brought a passport style book with a record of her transactions which she showed to the judge. The judge noted that the balance as of November 19, 2024, was £40,436.79. Speaking from the dock she said: “I do not understand these things – I am not very bright.”
Pearson, of Stanley Road, Platt Bridge, admitted two charges of dishonestly failing to disclose information and was ordered by a judge to use all of her savings to pay the benefits back.
She had faced up to two years jail under sentencing guidelines – and she broke down in tears when she was told would go free. In sentencing Pearson, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC said: ”I am sure you are thoroughly ashamed of yourself to be in the dock at that age.
“But I do not want you to remain in the anxious state that I can see you are in so I want you to know you are not going to prison today. But you will need to make arrangements to pay the compensation.”
He added: ”In my judgment that should be sufficient to let her start again. The thing is, at 58, she has lost her good name. She admitted the matter as soon as she could before the courts.
“In all the circumstances, the delay in the proceedings and having to come to the crown court, in my judgment this has been a very significant traumatic event for her where she has no doubt been afraid that she may go to prison.
“Life took a turn she has found difficult to deal with. She will pay the money back but she would be well advised to have that transferred as soon as it can be achieved and go straight around and make such a claim for assistance as is appropriate, as long as she is honest about her means.”