A social media blogger known by the moniker ‘Miss Holiday’ has been revealed to have used benefit payments to fund her escapades.
Susan Pearson took an eight-day cruise on the Mediterranean and jetsetted to an array of destinations including Tunisia, Cyprus, Tenerife and Lanzarote.
She posted pictures of her travels on Facebook, including shots of her relaxing by pools and sipping cocktails.
On one post she quipped that it was ‘about time’ she had a break, as she had ‘not had a holiday since last week’.
Her followers joked that she had clocked up more air miles than the US presidential 747 jet, Air Force One, and asked whether she had a ‘secret sugar daddy’.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
It has since transpired that Pearson paid for her exotic getaways with more than £40,000 claimed on Universal Credit over five years.
The writer also received a £500 discount on her council tax to which she wasn’t entitled.
Pearson’s scam became apparent after welfare officials discovered she had undeclared savings in Nationwide and Co-Funds accounts, the Sun reported.
She first submitted a claim for Universal Credit in 2018, on the basis that she was unemployed, single and had no other income or savings.
The divorcee claimed she had spent the money on improvements to her home, including a roof repair and a new door and window.
But he £40,334.21 she received was spent on her extravagant holidays, Bristol Crown Court heard.
Pearson pleaded guilty to two counts of deliberately failing to disclose information.
Judge Nicholas Clarke KC, sentencing, said he expected Pearson to be ‘thoroughly ashamed’ of herself’.
He spared her a jail sentence but ordered her to pay back all the fraudulently claimed money.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
