Halton Council to Write Off £240,000 Debt from Deceased Benefit Fraudster

A local authority is preparing to cancel a debt exceeding £240,000, which was owed by an individual convicted of benefit fraud, subsequent to her passing. Christina Pomfrey, a grandmother from Runcorn, received a prison sentence in 2020 for fraudulently obtaining over £1 million from Halton Council, Oldham Council, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Subsequent to her conviction, Halton borough council issued debt invoices with the aim of recovering a portion of the funds; however, the council was recently notified of Pomfrey’s demise. During the peak of her fraudulent activities, Pomfrey was reportedly claiming £13,000 monthly and spending lavishly on vacations, apparel, and cosmetic procedures, as presented in court proceedings at the time. The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that she employed false identities and asserted disability to defraud funds over a 15-year span. Her fabrications included stating she was blind and required a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis; nevertheless, surveillance conducted by investigators observed her driving and walking while perusing a newspaper. This case was characterized as among the most significant social security frauds prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Pomfrey, aged 65 at the time, ultimately pleaded guilty to 34 charges, encompassing fraud, false accounting, and creating or providing items for use in frauds, leading to a sentence of three years and eight months in prison in 2020. During her sentencing at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Sophie McKone stated that Pomfrey was “staggeringly dishonest” and culpable of “determined benefit fraud on a substantial scale.” The cumulative sum she owed to Halton amounted to £240,095, comprising ineligible direct payments totaling £188,825, housing benefit overpayments of £50,375, and council tax arrears of £895. Halton’s ruling executive board is scheduled to be informed later this week that the debt must be cancelled because Pomfrey possesses no estate from which the funds can be reclaimed. This write-off will be financed through the council’s designated bad debt provision, which is an annual allocation of funds set aside to account for amounts that may be unrecoverable from debtors.