Mother-of-nine in £63k fraud is spared prison

A gipsy mother-of-nine from South Staffordshire who claimed more than £63,000 of benefits by claiming she was a single mother this afternoon avoided jail – and will take 20 years to pay back the money.

Chavelle Price was actually married and living with her husband Patrick Dunne on a site in Coven Heath which featured on TV show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

The 33-year-old was this afternoon given a suspended 20-week prison sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court and ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work.

Price is now still receiving £600 a week in benefits and has arranged to pay back the money she owes at just £60 a month – which will take more than 20 years.

Mr Chris Bailey, prosecuting, said Price had claimed £62,972 over 10 years.

"The defendant claimed she was living at her parents' house with her children," he said. "She claimed her marriage to Patrick Dunne in 2005 had lasted just a couple of weeks until he found out their first child wasn't actually his, so he upped and left.

"She claims they remained married because she is a Roman Catholic and so does not believe in divorce."

Price claimed income support, saying she was unable to work due to a shoulder injury and stating that she was single.

But she was caught out when planning applications to expand the gipsy site in Coven Heath for her husband's family were made in both of their names.

Price had also told the Department for Work and Pensions that she was living in her parents' caravan and had split up with her husband in 1997. This claim came unstuck when they applied for benefits and made no mention of Price living with them.

Mr Simon Rippon, defending, said: "She cannot read or write, but she is a very good and loving mother of nine." Judge Michael Dudley said Price's actions were "crazy" as she could have legitimately claimed benefits. "People get fed up of reading about people who have cheated and defrauded the system," he said.