A former magistrate who swindled £27,000 in benefits told a judge she couldn’t afford to pay a £20-a-month fine for ignoring a notice served by her local council.
Sandra Howell claimed she had "not got any money" as she repeatedly argued with a judge while being sentenced yesterday. Judge David Swinnerton told the 49-year-old that because of her “bloody-mindedness”, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council had run up a £25,865 bill in costs.
Howell, who was jailed for nine months in October 2018 for cheating the benefits system, claims to have agoraphobia and complex regional pain syndrome.
