A CUMBRIAN man who claimed almost £30,000 in benefits for life-limiting medical conditions secretly splashed out on drugs and a lavish lifestyle that included an action-packed holiday in Florida.

For almost five years, Neil Filer claimed his health was so bad he could walk only short distances. He said he suffered diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and right-sided weakness after a heart attack.

According to his 2017 claim for PIP (Personal Independent Payments), his conditions were so severe he needed help to bathe, dress and eat.

Yet investigators from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), who checked his Facebook page, discovered daming evidence that proved he was working and living extravagantly. 

At Carlisle Crown Court, the defendant, of Peat Bank, Kendal, admitted a single count of fraud. The scale of the deception – committed over four years and nine months – was outlined by prosecutor Andrew Evans.

Filer fraudulently claimed a total of £29,245.

Mr Evans told the court: “The defendant completed forms for PIP on January 21, 2017. He asserted that he suffered from diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and right-sided weakness following a heart attack.”

Filer insisted he needed extensive help – with washing, bathing, dressing, preparing food, and with reading and remembering to eat.

The barrister said: “The defendant asserted that he rarely left the house, required encouragement to do so and was always accompanied when he did leave. He said he could walk no more than 50 metres and sometimes not at all due to tiredness.

“He said he used a stick to walk, and regularly suffered falls and struggled to negotiate uneven ground.”

'Very physically demanding'

Yet in July, 2017, Filer was posting photos on his Facebook page of himself enjoying a holiday in Florida.

“On July 9, 2017,” continued Mr Evans, “he posted photos of himself apparently unaccompanied on what he said was a ‘90ft drop slide’ at a waterpark; and photos of himself on a roller coaster and walking around theme parks.”

The prosecutor then outlined the jobs Filer did while claiming the benefit.

Two months after his Orlando holiday, he began working for Asda, with the store’s online shopping team, but he declared no disability other than diabetes on his application.

In September 2018, he moved to Sainsburys, working as a general assistant in what managers said was a “very physically demanding job.” It included heavy manual work, walking and lifting.

By April of 2019, Filer was working as a driver, delivering groceries. His work was described as “strenuous and unpredictable.”

Mr Evans added: “Facebook posts throughout the period showed the defendant water skiing, balancing on the backs of dolphins at a waterpark, swimming with the same animals, and various posts of climbing the Lakeland fells.”

Anthony Parkinson, defending, said Filer had written a letter of apology and had expressed “genuine remorse.”

A man with no previous convictions, Filer had came from a wealthy family and his brother was a successful businessman. The defendant had wanted to give the impression that he was as successful.

Mr Parkinson said: “There is debt in the background, and a reckless and helpless addiction to cocaine over many years. He is trying to remain abstinent from those drugs.”

Since the offence came to light, the defendant’s marriage had also broken down.

'Sustained criminal conduct over several years'

Recorder Kevin Slack said Filer’s Facebook posts amounted to “blatant boasting” about wealth and success that he wanted others to think he had, dishonestly paid for out of public funds.

The judge noted that in June 2021, Filer had completed a review form for the DWP declaring that there had been no improvement in his condition. Recorder Slack said Filer used money desperately needed by others with genuine disabilities who could only dream of the lavish lifestyle he had enjoyed at their expense.

Though there was evidence of some medical conditdions, Filer failed to tell officials his health improved. The judge concluded: “I accept there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in your case, and I find your remorse to be genuine...

“But I am driven to the conclusion that the nature of this offending – sustained criminal conduct over several years to fraudulently claim benefits so you could show off to others that you were affluent and successful and to fund a cocaine habit – means appropriate punishment can only be achieved by an immediate custodial sentence.”

He jailed Filer for eleven months.

'We will not tolerate any attempts to steal'

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride MP, said: “Brazen attempts to fleece the taxpayer will get caught out.

"I welcome the guilty verdict in this case because it shows the success of a DWP investigation in ensuring justice has been done to protect taxpayers’ cash, and acts as a warning to other would-be fraudsters.

“Our benefits system is designed to support the most vulnerable in society, and we will not tolerate any attempts to steal from them.

“We are committed to cracking down on those who shamelessly set out to steal from the public purse, boosting resources through our Fraud Plan to help save more than £9 billion by 2027/28.”

The DWP has unveiled a comprehensive crackdown on benefits fraud. The main details include: 

  • The DWP last year launching a plan to drive down fraud and error from the benefits system. The “Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System” plan can be accessed on gov.uk. There are plans for a raft of new powers, including strengthening the penalty regime by introducing a new type of civil penalty for such fraud.  
  • These new powers would include requirements for organisations, such as banks, to share data securely on an increased scale to check levels of savings and whether claimants are living abroad. There are also plans to increase DWP officers’ powers to conduct searches, seize evidence, and make arrests. 
  • The plans are backed by additional investment of £900 million over three years to help boost frontline “defences”. 
  • DWP estimate that its Fraud Plan will prevent more than £9bn of fraud loss by 2027/28. The plans include a 2,000-strong team to deliver Targeted Case Reviews of millions of Universal Credit claims over the next five years. 
  • The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has estimated that the additional £900m being invested to fight fraud and error should save £2.4bn by 2024/25, a figure which rises to over £9bn if the investment is continued through to 2027/28.