The defendant had initially made a legitimate application by telephone for employment support allowance in 2009, which was awarded. In November 2018, DWP requested copies of her bank statements so that her capital and savings could be reviewed. A response was provided by Atkinson which included a Natwest accounts in her former husband’s name and one from Nationwide, in her name. Following a further review by DWP, it revealed that these documents held capital in excess of the prescribed limit of her claim. After her husband's death, the defendant inherited his estate, which included a property she lived in, meaning she possessed more than £187,000.