Special constable in £80,000 fraud

A special constable was jailed for 16 months yesterday after admitting fraudulently claiming nearly £80,000 in benefits.

Gina Conopo started claiming income support and housing and council tax benefit legitimately in 1999 when she and her husband separated, Northampton Crown Court heard.

But when they got back together, the mother-of-two failed to notify authorities and carried on claiming.

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In just over seven years, Conopo, of Grasscroft, Long Buckby, Northants, fraudulently claimed 46,321.27 in income support and 33,267.48 in council and housing tax benefit.

The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to notify a change of circumstances – that she and her husband Simon were living together again.

Adam Western, prosecuting, said Conopo had been sent regular leaflets reminding her to notify of any changes regarding her benefits, but she had not.

"The evidence that the defendant and Simon Conopo were living together is that Simon Conopo gave her address, the family address, as his address to various agencies such as Companies House, and in respect of the registration of vehicles," Mr Western said.

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He said the couple also made a joint application for credit in 2006, in which Conopo said she was married, and they had a joint income of 35,000.

Conopo, who has resigned from Northamptonshire Police, repaid just over 4,500 since being discovered and planned to repay 500 per month.

Steven Evans, for Conopo, said: "This is a great fall from grace for somebody who lives in a small community."

Sentencing her to 16 months in prison, Judge Christopher Metcalf said prison was not there simply for matters of rehabilitation. "It's sometimes there as a punishment and to send out a message to the public that people who take this huge amount of money over such a period of time are not going to escape."

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