Telford husband is jailed for £45,000 fraud

Married couple Stephen and Nicola Coleman were sentenced by Judge Peter Barrie at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.

Following a trial last month a jury convicted the couple on all six fraud counts against them by majority verdicts.

The couple, who have four children, told the authorities they were separated and living in different houses for the nine-year period between 2002 and 2011.

During that time Mrs Coleman, 40, claimed £38,888 in income support and £6,394 in council tax benefit on the basis that she was a single parent.

But the prosecution produced evidence during the course of the five-day trial which showed the couple both gave the same address – Deercote in Hollinswood – on all three of their children's birth certificates.

Evidence also revealed Mr Coleman, 46, had his registered address as Deercote when he started working at Ricoh in 2006 – and named Mrs Coleman as his next of kin.

Throughout the trial Mr Coleman denied there was any romance between the couple and, giving evidence in the witness stand, told the jury he only thought of his wife as a babysitter to his children.

In her applications Mrs Coleman claimed Mr Coleman was her ex-husband and was the landlord at the address.

Mr Coleman's involvement started when he submitted a number of documents to support the applications including tenancy agreements, rent books and letters stating he was receiving rent, the court heard. The documents stated he was a landlord living at his mother's address.

Mrs Coleman claimed the money up until she moved addresses in 2009 to Damson Drive in Oakengates, Telford.

She reapplied for the benefits and continued to receive them until an investigation was launched in 2010.

The jury convicted Mrs Coleman on two counts of making false representations to obtain benefits, and her husband on four counts of causing or allowing false documents to be produced.

Representing Mr Coleman Delroy Henry asked for the judge to have "mercy" on his defendant saying he was not being greedy, but was just trying to provide for his family.

Deborah Wight, defending Mrs Coleman, said the concern was that the couples children would have to be handed into the care of social services if she was jailed.

Mr Coleman was sentenced to 30 weeks in prison and Judge Peter Barrie said: "It was primarily you who instigated the the fraud.

"Mrs Coleman was entirely dependant on what you could provide for her."

Judge Barrie also sentenced Mrs Coleman to 30 weeks in prison but suspended that sentence for two years, saying she had played a less dominant role in the fraud.

As the pair were separated in the dock Mrs Coleman could be seen sobbing.