Same Offense Resulting in Completely Different Sentences

[danielsoar]

My question involves criminal law for the state of: N/A
We are based in the UK

My mum committed benefit fraud as she was working as a single mum, she claimed benefit to provide for me and my younger brother as the CSA failed my mum and never helped her get child support.

As a result, she was sentenced to prison for 2 years and ordered to pay the full money back, she lost her home and we was made homeless. I had to sleep rough while my brother had to go and live with my nan. My mum was released from prison and found it hard to get a job because of what happened, because they wanted the money back in one payment, my mum avoided them at all costs, they literally offered nothing to help her, so by now my mum was in bits and our family fell apart.

Shes now gone back to prison again and they are still ordering for her to pay the money back, they have sentenced her again for 18 months, and my family is all apart struggling trying to find a solution!

I just read the Luton on Sunday newspaper, dated December 0th 2008, and in there I was disgusted by an article that I saw. I read of a women who lived in the wigmore area who did the same thing as my mum, yet claimed more money and did it for personal gain, and as a punishment, she got 2 weeks in prison and a bit of community service as well as the debt being written off, and I am fuming, I am so angry that I have to restrain myself from going out for fear of destroying everything in my sight.

I am in bits to see how this is even the least bit fair? circumstances wise my mum did not do this for any personal gain, and as a result, she has been treated like an animal.

Can something be done? there must be a way to get another trial or some help, I just think this is completely unfair, and needs to go back under the scope.

I am begging you for your help, do you know any resources that might be able to help?

[cyjeff]

US law only.

[aaron]

That's a short way of saying that this is a U.S. board, so you can't count on getting any appreciable insight into a U.K. legal problem here.

In this country, if somebody went to prison for welfare fraud, the most obvious explanation would be that the person had a prior criminal history that factored in at sentencing. It's not at all uncommon here for people, particularly those on parole from their sentence after an initial prison term, to be sent back to prison over a parole violation.

The best way to find out what happened in your mother's case is to ask her, and hope for the full story, or (if she'll authorize it) talk to her lawyer.