Cattle herder who took £100k in benefits caught on camera
A con man from South Staffordshire who claimed he could walk no more than 10 metres unaided today admitted fraudulently pocketing more than £100,000 in benefits – after being caught on camera at work herding cattle.
David Millward was secretly filmed by the Department of Work and Pensions carrying bags of animal feed around the field he rented off Stafford Road, Coven.
Pictures show him climbing over a fence, filling feeding trays and loading cattle into his trailer. He walked awithout any aids and only displayed a slight limp.
Inquiries revealed that he had been working as a self-employed livestock trader and had been involved in the business since 1999. But married 55-year-old Millward failed to mention this when he successfully applied for income support and disability allowance in 2003.
He had illegally pocketed £75,532 in income support and £24,692 in disability living allowance by the time the scam was uncovered last year following a probe launched after a tip off in 2010. The secret video was shot that summer.
Millward from Oak Road, Brewood pleaded guilty to two offences of cheating at Wolverhampton Crown Court today. He admitted illegally claiming income support and illegally collecting disability living allowance.
He previously denied the offences. Mr Stephen Blower, defending, asked for a pre-sentence and medical report to be drawn up. Judge Amjad Nawaz remanded Millward until February 4 with bail on condition he co-operates with doctors, and added that due to the sums involved a custodial sentence is probable.
