‘I was petrified’: how DWP threatened woman over carer’s allowance breach

Clement Jacques was questioned under caution and agreed to pay penalty for error that could have been spotted sooner

Clemency Jacques's interview under caution by benefits officials is seared into her memory. She was accused of benefits fraud and, utterly bewildered, she tried to defend herself. It did not go well. I sat there for two hours crying," she recalls.

In a room at the local jobcentre, officials had read her her rights just like in the movies". She was warned that she could face police arrest, referral to the Crown Prosecution Service and a criminal court appearance. It was bloody scary", she says.