A 67-YEAR-OLD woman who lied on an application form to buy a council house in Amesbury has been given a four-month suspended prison sentence.

Diane Snelgrove, of The Gravels, Coombe Bissett, appeared for sentencing on Monday at Salisbury Crown Court after admitting fraud.

Snelgrove applied to Wiltshire Council to buy her three-bedroom house in Devereux Road at a reduced price, despite not having lived there for ten years.

The court heard the pensioner had asked her daughter to fill in the application form online, while she gave the information over the phone.

Prosecuting, Edward Elton said the defendant had been living in a different address in Coombe Bissett at the time but had continued to pay the council tax.

Defending, Tim Bradbury said his client acknowledged there was nothing he could say on her behalf in mitigation.

He said she had been in the property for a number of years and had moved out so that her daughter and son-in-law could live in the house. Snelgrove continued to maintain her contact with the address and still had her post delivered to the Amesbury address.

Snelgrove was of previous good character and had no previous convictions.

Sentencing her, Judge Andrew Barnett said: “The fraud was exploiting your status as a tenant of a council property.”

Snelgrove’s daughter and son-in-law, Gary and Michelle Stafford, were cleared of fraud (as reported in last week’s Journal).

Judge Barnett said Snelgrove was now “left to face punishment”.

Lies had been told about the property, and wrong information filled out on the application form, with Snelgrove’s acknowledgement, he said.

“For the past ten years you have been living with your husband in Coombe Bissett and would not have been entitled to buy the property and get a discount,” he added.

The defendant’s sentence was suspended for a year and she was also ordered to pay a £1,000 towards costs.

An investigation by Wiltshire Council’s Corporate Investigation Team found Mrs Snelgrove had not been using the council property as her only or main home as she was living with her husband of 10 years in a six bedroom house in Coombe Bissett. 

The tenancy has been surrendered by Mrs Snelgrove and the council property has been reallocated. 

Dick Tonge, the Wiltshire Council cabinet member responsible for finance, said: “Tenancy fraud can cost thousands of pounds to the taxpayer and deprives people in genuine need of a home.

“For every property illegally occupied the estimated cost to the public purse is £18,000.  I want to thank the public for their help in tracking down fraudsters and I’d encourage them to get in touch if they suspect fraud so we can investigate and ensure council and social housing properties are given to the people who genuinely need them.”