Woman in railway pension case walks free (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Woman in railway pension case walks free

7:42am Tuesday 13th November 2007 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

A woman who claimed her dead father-in-laws pension for almost a decade has walked free from court.

Beverley Tattershall plundered more than £22,000 from the Railways Pension Management Ltd for almost 14 years.

The 60-year-old had the cash paid directly into her bank account after forged documents were submitted claiming her ex-husband's dad was still alive.

But after hearing how she had paid the money back after being caught a judge imposed a suspended sentence on Tattershall.

Stephen Dent, prosecuting, told Swindon crown court the matter came to light in March 2005 as a result of an anti-fraud initiative by the pension administrator.

They discovered that Norman Halton, the intended recipient of the pension, had died in May 1991.

He said Tattershall had been claiming the cash saying she was looking after Mr Halton's affairs for him as he was unwell.

She had filled in forms saying he was suffering from dementia which were signed by a doctor with a health centre's stamp on them.

But when investigators contacted the Hawthorn Medical Centre they were told Mr Halton was not registered there and the signature and stamp were fakes.

They then contacted the registrar of deaths and found that Mr Halton was dead and had been for more than a decade.

Tattershall was arrested last year and told the police that in the early 1980s she married Ronald Halton, the son of Norman.

They separated and she remarried but she remained close to the family, she said, and when her former father in law fell ill she was brought in to help with his affairs.

Tattershall, of Pembroke Street, Old Town, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Railways Pension Management Ltd.

In total she admitted to obtaining £22,406 which had been paid into her account at the Abbey.

Nicholas Fridd, defending, said that his client only admitted to taking the money between the start of 1996 and April 30, 2005.

He said Tattershall came from a railway family and her mother collected her father's pension after he had died.

Between Mr Halton's death and the start date of her offending he said she was aware that his widow was getting the money.

But when she passed away at the behest of her former husband she claimed the case which in the main he kept.

Mr Fridd said he claimed to have money worries didn't turn out to be the case as when he died a few weeks before Tattershall's arrest he left his estate to her.

It was through that money that she was able to repay in full the money obtained illicitly from the pension fund.

Passing sentence Judge Douglas Field said "For some years you indulged in quite deliberate and serious dishonesty and the total amount that was paid improperly by the pension provider was £22,406."

But he said she had powerful mitigation including the fact that she had paid the money back and had suffered ill health.

He passed a ten month jail term but suspended it for a year and ordered she observe a 7pm to 7am curfew for three months.