Sefton's former mayor John Walker was accused of cheating taxpayers out of an estimated amount of 65,000 pounds for more than 7 years. Mr. Walker though denied the accusations and pleaded not guilty to 7 counts of benefit fraud at the Liverpool Crown Court. The ex-mayor has been charged of 3 counts of falsely claiming for income support and benefit fraud. Moreover, he faces 4 counts for failure to inform the Department of Work and Pensions (DPW) regarding a
change of circumstances.
According to reports, Mr. Walker has been charged due to his failure to notify the DPW about his mayoral expenditures and the employment of his wife. The Liverpool
Crown Court has reviewed the allegations from 1999 up to the present. Prosecuting lawyer Teresa Loftus said that the court would not seek to disprove the disability of Mr. Walker, but rather on how it affected the former mayor's benefits. Meanwhile, Mr. Walker appeared in court in order to clean his name and to enter his pleas. He was accompanied by his wife Catie who sat at the back of the court. The trial is expected to last more than 5 months depending on the developments of the case.
