dingostew.com

A man who posed as a homeless person earned £23,000 begging on the streets over one year, it has been revealed.
A court heard yesterday how Daniel Terry, 31, dressed up as a tramp and raked in £50 on a weekday and up to £100 on weekends in Lincoln, whilst claiming £80 a week of incapacity benefits.

With his £4,000-a-year benefits, the fake beggar made a total income of £27,000 - more than the average nurse, teacher or soldier.

The former estate agent, who convinced passers-by he was homeless, was actually living at his girlfriend's council flat or on friends' sofas for most of the time.

Terry was charged on 11th August, after a series of warnings from police about his begging.

The 'disgraceful' man, as he was described by prosecutor Mark Holmes, pleaded guilty at Lincoln Magistrates, but was let off with a mere £100 fine. Terry, who suffers from Tourette's syndrome, also had 22 previous convictions for minor dishonesty, the court was told.

Last night a spokeswoman for the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "It's a disgrace that he's only received a slap on the wrist for claiming benefits on top of his illegal income. Charlatans like this leave us all worse off."

Mr Terry told press outside the court hearing that: "I was never an aggressive beggar like the ones you see clutching on to a bottle of cider. People will tell you I was polite and never gave them any hassle."

"At least I never turned to shoplifting or burgling people's homes."

He was charged with what? Is being homeless illegal?

I'm assuming he wasnt working, and he has a medical condition so hes prob entitled to benefits. Then if people choose to give him money, wheres the law breaking there?