A BENEFITS cheat who falsely claimed he could hardly walk to rake in £35,000 disability allowance was jailed last night.

William Frankhum, of Preston Road, Abingdon, told the Department of Work and Pensions he could not walk unaided and suffered excruciating pain while sitting down.

However, the married father-of-four was working as a van driver for British Meats, travelling 200 miles a day and unloading trays of meat weighing more than 20kg.

The 37-year old, wearing a brown overcoat and white shirt, clutched a pair of crutches as he sat in the dock at Reading Crown Court yesterday.

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The court was told how, between 2009 and 2013, he fraudulently claimed £34,949.62 in benefits by exaggerating the extent of his disabilities.

The judge heard how Frankhum filled out two DWP forms, including one claiming he could not leave the house without company as he would fall over.

He admitted four counts of benefit fraud and was jailed for six months by Judge Richard Parkes.

The judge said: “It is fair to say that you had some disability but you exaggerated the extent of your problems.”

Defending, Lucy Tapper said Frankhum’s health had worsened in the months before his court appearance.

She added he had committed the fraud to provide for his wife and four young children, aged between 13 and three months.

DWP spokeswoman Cat Farnsworth said: “The majority of people claiming benefits are honest, but there are some who abuse our welfare system and we will do everything we can to catch them.

“It’s unfair that some people are fiddling the system in order to get more benefits than they need, and it costs the taxpayers money which should be used to help the most vulnerable people.”



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