A Port Talbot couple have been handed suspended prison sentences after fraudulently claiming £48,500 in universal credit over four years by failing to declare they owned a second property worth £170,000 🏠
Brian Rowe, 63, and Frances Rowe, 58, both of Vivian Park Drive, appeared at Swansea Crown Court where they admitted dishonestly failing to notify a change of circumstances.
The court heard their application for benefit payments in February 2019 was “fraudulent from the outset” when they declared savings and investments of less than £6,000 whilst concealing ownership of a rental property on their street, which Brian Rowe had owned for around 20 years.
Prosecutor Ryan Bowen told the court the second house was worth approximately £170,000 at the time of application, making them ineligible for universal credit. The property had been generating £500 per month in rental income, with Frances Rowe previously named as landlord on a 2013 housing benefit claim.
Judge Geraint Walters acknowledged the couple’s financial difficulties, noting Brian Rowe’s inability to work due to ill-health left them relying solely on Frances Rowe’s income. However, he emphasised: “Stealing from the state is not an insignificant matter.”
Defence solicitor Huw Davies said the couple had re-mortgaged their home and begun repaying the money owed.
Both defendants received six-month prison sentences suspended for two years, with one-third discounts applied for their guilty pleas. Brian Rowe has one previous conviction for criminal damage, whilst Frances Rowe has no prior convictions.
A proceeds of crime hearing is scheduled for 24th June to establish a confiscation and repayment timetable ⚖️
