Wife of oldest dad is £7k benefits cheat

The 26-year-old wife of Britain's oldest dad of twins cheated nearly £7,000 of taxpayers' money after failing to tell authorities she had married her 72-year-old husband.

Lisa Roden, of Brownhills, hit the headlines after having twins by father-of-12 Richard Roden, who is 46 years her senior, in January 2009.

The news reports brought the Rodens' marriage to the attention of Walsall Council and the Department for Work and Pensions, who had been shelling out council tax benefit and income support to someone they believed was a single mother.

Roden appeared at Walsall Magistrates Court yesterday charged with two counts of failing to notify authorities of a change in circumstances after she was overpaid a total of £6,901.58 between February 2009 and January 2010.

The 26-year-old, of Peake Crescent, who is eight months pregnant with the couple's third child, admitted both counts and said she had sent off letters to both authorities when she married ex-welder Mr Roden in September 2009, but the letters must not have arrived.

Miss Catherine McTighe, prosecuting, said: "This came to the attention of the national media on the first birthday of the twins.

"She was interviewed under caution, she admitted that she had married in September 2009 and there had been two children born.

"She considered she had lived with Mr Roden since the twins were born."

Roden, who had been paid the benefits as a single parent from a previous relationship since June 2002, said she had started to repay her council tax benefit five months ago.

She was ordered to pay a £50 fine for each offence, £100 costs and a £15 victim surcharge. Roden said after the hearing: "I wrote letters, it's not my fault they never arrived."

Richard Roden will become a father of 13 when the new arrival is born, which is expected at the end of January. He has 10 other children from two previous marriages. Lisa has a daughter, Bethany, now nine, from a previous relationship.