Your attitude surprises me little Eric, but still makes me feel rather sad. I'm pretty sure there are many laws that you've enfringed/broken over the years, many rules and regulations you've flouted, many situations you've taken advantage of, many moraly suspect decisions taken.

And yet because she's been caught continuing to claim money that she no doubt needs, to help keep what remains of her family life afloat, you feel no sympathy....?

And the question was, what punishment does she face.... not how do you feel about it.

Some harsh replies which are probably expected but noone on here no the circumstances which led her to be a single working mum so calling her a slag is a bit much. I wouldn't put her in the same category as the known drug dealer dropping his kid off at my lads school, or people working the disability benefits etc.

Hopefully she just has to pay back the overpayment, her lazy son is a whole other problem.

No criminal record. Car he purchased was sold on after they split up.

18yo left college in June/July last year. She admits it was a conscoius decision as she didn't know what else to do. Genuine remorse but felt she had no other option. Not sure how much it involves as a monetary value

I can 100% guarantee that there was no abuse. She suffered PND, they drifted apart and she got sucker punched by attention from someone else.

My concern is for child 2 because she is my daughter.

fair enough.

I can see why a lot of people on here are unsympathetic, especially when it comes to benefit fraud.

Personally I feel sorry for her. Having grown up with my mother who was in a very similar situation to the one the OP has described, except my mother had 3 kids and didn't claim benefits.

Going from being in a marriage that was fairly comfortable wealth wise, to a divorce caused by my fathers adultery, followed by 5 years of court cases and tearing chunks out of each other, it is a very difficult situation and leaves both parties financially wrecked.

While I don't agree with what she did, I do hope she gets off lightly. There is a big difference between screwing the system over because you can and screwing it over because you desperately need to.

Agree with the rest of the comments though, get the little fker to work and pay his way or boot him out. OP, make sure she pushes the lad, she'll be surprised at the difference him paying his own way will affect her own finances.

From your first post it's the father of Child No2 that turned her over - now I'm sure I've misunderstood fom what else you've said here, but it it the father of the 18 year old who ran up the debts, and you're the father of the 9 year old, or is there another child involved?

I thought that, but if you read it again it says she left the father of child number 2 (OP) for someone else, who then ran up loads of debt and legged it.

Neither. It was the bloke she left the father of child no.2 for (that being me;) Thanks for that)

She split up with husband (his fault I assure you), we met 18 months later when the 18yo was 6. We were together 6 years, bought house, I worked 2 jobs to make sure bills were paid (she worked part time as well) but she felt that I didn't help out or give enough attention at home and got her head turned. I was removed from the life of the now 18yo in favour of his dad and the other bloke.

The third bloke then stitched her up like a kipper. She has not been on so much as a date in the 3 years since he left as he has left he very psychologically damaged

Hope this clears me of any wrongdoing

Blimey, you don't half lead a complicated life.

I think you need a few lessons in "how to pick a good woman".