Man alerts DWP to money he shouldn’t have been given, pays it back, and is still taken to court

Man alerts DWP to money he shouldn’t have been given, pays it back, and is still taken to court
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/man-alerts-dwp-money-shouldnt-13605620?ref=BNTMedia&utm_medium=facebook

disgusting for telling the truth might as well kept his mouth shut at least if it went to court could have admitted not his fault due to dwp overpaying and not revealing that they was over paying the in the first place

Having read this article it appears to me that the overpayment was partly his fault as he did not declare that he started a job. However, he made efforts to put the situation right and it should never have proceeded to court.

I think the (relatively) small fine and the conditional discharge reflected the fact that this man is not a criminal, but someone who made the effort to put things right.The situation could have been much worse if had been discovered instead of confessing. He might have gone to prison in those circumstances.

I am not condoning the actions of DWP in bringing a court case; it was a ridiculous action and a waste of court time/public funds.