Benefit Cheat Caught Playing Golf
A benefit cheat who claimed he could not work because of arthritis in his hands was caught when secret footage captured him playing golf.
Peter David Crowder, 50, from Maghull, Merseyside, claimed Disability Living Allowance worth £20,217 between October 2006 and September 2010.
He admitted failing to declare a change of circumstances and making a false statement to obtain benefits.
His case was adjourned at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court until 25 August.
District Judge Miriam Shelvey warned him that the offences could carry a custodial sentence.
The court heard how Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators carried out covert surveillance on Crowder, of Parkbourn Square, following an anonymous tip off.
He was seen driving, chipping and putting golf balls at Hurlston Hall Golf and Country Club, Lancashire, where it is understood he was a member since 2006.
Golf competitions
Club records showed the former psychiatric nurse at Ashworth Hospital attended the club 151 times between 4 April 2009 and 28 May 2010.
The court heard he retired from his job on medical grounds claiming that he was suffering from rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis and had “problems” with his hands and feet.
He was seen in the footage unpacking a golf trolley and pushing it around the 18-hole golf course.
The DWP investigations also showed that he played in 49 golf competitions between 1 January 2007 and 17 March 2010 with club score cards showing that he played with handicaps of 26, 25 and 23.
Same Difference 
I am angry when I read about things like this.
There’s not enough to go around for people who are desperate/ deserving, while scheisters like this beast fiddle away, stealing from the taxpayer, diverting resources away from the needy and vulnerable and giving decent benefit claimants who are entitled to help a bad name. Unfortunately people do like to tar us with that brush – I’m fed up with complete strangers giving me funny looks, asking questions – what’s wrong with me, how much and what benefit do I get – treating me like a sponger and an idiot – or are they just trying to glean a way to cheat the system, from describing my symptoms to their doctor?
Why do they want to know so much?
They don’t seem to care how much of a struggle my day-to-day life is, they just want my medical and financial details!
Beggars and druggies ask me for money – is it because they think I’ve got it to give?
I would like simply to move from this noisy, dirty unsuitable place into a disabled adapted home and finally get to have and use a wheelchair to get about.
If what Kaliya Franklin has been going through is anything to go by, perhaps I shan’t hold out too much hope for that chair – but it would be great, instead of dragging myself about on a stick, up and down the stairs to my first floor flat, it would save me alot of pain and discomfort; I would be able to do more at home, look forward to starting college, then uni, get my degree, get a good job – if I could only live somewhere peaceful and clean AND power about my business on wheels.
All this is too much to ask, as I am not over 55 yrs or mentally ill.
So I’ll just struggle on as the second-class citizen I have become.
There we are, that’s what I’m thinking – I hope the thief in question DOES get a custodial sentence. The establishment need to send out the strongest message.
Cheat the system and you will go to jail.
It’s only fair – and right – and just.
I’d like to hope that he does one day end up genuinely disabled, and has his application for DLA refused – it’s not Christian but he’ll know what it’s like to be at the sharp end then!
He’ll have to sell his golf clubs, to pay back what he stole though, surely, as well as, at fifty years old (when he thought he’d got his early-retirement at the expense of the state), find a job to pay it back too?!?! If so, then Justice will be done!
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