‘Housebound’ benefit cheat caught running 10k races and doing Zumba classes
Helen Green, a 49-year-old woman from Shrewsbury, was caught defrauding the government by claiming she was housebound while actively participating in gym classes and running 10k races. She received over £25,000 in Personal Independence Payment (PIP) despite her claims of severe mobility issues. Green was sentenced to seven months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions of her changed circumstances.
- ▪Helen Green claimed she could not walk for more than five minutes due to severe rheumatoid arthritis and a slipped disc.
- ▪She was exposed after a DWP investigation revealed she was a member of a running club and regularly attended gym classes.
- ▪Green was accused of falsely claiming £42,013 in PIP but accepted a guilty plea for £25,244 between January 2020 and March 2023.
- ▪She was sentenced to seven months in prison at Shrewsbury Crown Court.
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NewsUKCrime‘Housebound’ benefit cheat caught running 10k races and doing Zumba classesHelen Green received more than £25,000 in PIP after claiming she could not walk for longer than five minutesStephanie Wareham Wednesday 20 May 2026 11:06 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2979650To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/helen-green-benefit-fraud-pip-zumba-b2980224.html","title":"‘Housebound’ benefit cheat caught running 10k races and doing Zumba classes"}}Benefit cheat who claimed she could not walk caught red-handed working outFor…
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