Arrests over £75k child tax fraud

David Wilshaw and Nancy Stevenson were questioned by police

A North Somerset couple who allegedly claimed £75,000 in child tax credits for 15 non-existent children have been arrested on suspicion of fraud.

David Wilshaw, 57, and Nancy Stevenson, 58, from Weston-super-Mare, were questioned by police last week.

They are accused of using a loophole in the system to claim for non-existent children. The payments are believed to date back five years.

The couple have been released on police bail until May.

They were arrested after a warrant was executed by HM Revenue and Customs.

A spokesman for HM Revenue and Customs said: "For legal reasons, we can't comment on this particular case.

"It is far from easy to cheat the tax credit system because we check claims and carry out inquiries to make sure that claims are genuine, that any children claimed for actually exist and that the circumstances of the family genuinely qualify.

"We prosecute frauds and tax credit cheats face fines, jail and a criminal record."