A Mottingham woman who claimed council-funding for a carer who didn’t exist has been ordered to repay thousands of pounds.
Tracy Stratton, 57, pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud after she dishonestly applied for social care payments from the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Stratton said she depended on carers for all personal care needs including getting out of bed and bathing herself each morning, the court heard.
Stratton received £4,177 from the council between August 2019 and February 2020.
Time sheets she submitted to the authority stated that a carer named Regan O’Connor attended her Beaconsfield Road home for two hours each day.
But an investigation revealed that Regan O’Connor did not exist, and Stratton had sent in timesheets with fake signatures.
The court heard that during the investigation, Stratton was regularly seen walking, travelling and shopping independently.
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In mitigation, the court heard that Stratton’s health picture is “complex” and she is ashamed of her behaviour.
Judge Anya Lewis KC said: “There is no Regan O’Connor. This was a false name you yourself had used on occasions.
“You claimed she attended every day with a timesheet totalling £4,177.84.”
Judge Lewis ordered Stratton to repay the full amount back in compensation as well as £800 towards the costs of prosecuting her.
She was sentenced to a two-year community order at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (September 4).
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