Mum accused of £83k benefits fraud strongly denies relationship

Wednesday 29 November 2023

A mum accused of pretending she lived alone to claim more than £80,000 in benefits has strongly denied being in a relationship with the father of her child – telling the Royal Court that she wanted to "poke his eyeballs out" most of the time.

Georgina Mason (39) has pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to notify a change of circumstances to Social Security, and receiving income support using false information. The charges cover the period of time between September 2018 and October 2021.

She had been receiving income support for herself and her children – but, the prosecution argued, she had in fact been cohabiting with her partner.

Should the prosecution be found to be right, she will have been overpaid £83,000 in income support.

Ms Mason argued that, while the pair were once in a relationship, they had broken up – and that the man she was accused of cohabiting with only came to her home to visit their daughter.

But Crown Advocate Luke Sette, prosecuting, said Instagram and Facebook posts showed them operating as a family unit.

Social media posts show the pair getting engaged on Christmas Day 2018, but Ms Mason claimed in an interview with a CLS Enforcement Officer that they were not in a relationship and she was not seriously planning on getting married.

The ring she was wearing on the day of the interview, Ms Mason said, "symbolises our child".

She said that she would not trust him.

"Oh my God, I want to poke his eyeballs out most of the time," she added.

Asked where the man accused of being her partner lived, Mason said in the interview, "It's just none of your business where he lives" and refused to provide an address.

In communications with Mason, CLS staff had said they were "struggling to place him anywhere but yours".

Advocate James Bell, defending, said that new evidence, provided overnight after the trial opened on Monday, showed that Customer and Local Services had heard he was couch-surfing, but using Mason's address to receive mail.

Lieutenant Bailiff Jane Ronge and David Le Heuzé are sitting as Jurats. Deputy Bailiff Robert MacRae is presiding.

The trial continues.