Sun, Sea, Scam: £7k Benefit Cheat Walks Free After Holiday Spree

A benefits cheat who pocketed more than £7,000 in taxpayer-funded support while enjoying exotic family holidays to Greece and Spain has escaped a custodial sentence, igniting fresh outrage among hardworking residents across the UK, particularly in high-contribution areas like Surrey.

Brygida Kuczkowska, 50, pleaded guilty at Norwich Magistrates' Court to a sophisticated three-part scam that ran for nearly five years. While she claimed to be a struggling single occupant living on less than £200 a week, investigators discovered she was actually cohabiting with a fully employed partner and using public funds to subsidize international travel.

The Deception

The court heard that Kuczkowska, a resident of Guildford Way in Thetford, systematically misled the local council between March 2019 and November 2024. To qualify for significant reductions in her council tax bills, she signed declarations stating she was the sole adult in the property.

In reality, her partner, Krystian Goralski, was living at the address and in full-time employment. To maintain the ruse and keep the council off their trail, Goralski went to the extraordinary length of setting up a "ghost" address on Changi Road in Watton, creating a paper trail that suggested he lived miles away.

Exotic Trips and Data Matching

The dishonesty came to light thanks to the National Fraud Initiative (NFI), a sophisticated government data-matching exercise that cross-references council records with other financial databases. The system flagged a discrepancy indicating more than one adult was financially linked to Kuczkowska's home.

Subsequent financial investigations blew the cover story wide open. Council officers uncovered bank statements, employment records, and travel bookings that placed Goralski firmly at the Guildford Way address. Crucially, investigators found evidence of two family holidays—bookings for trips to Greece and Spain in 2020 and 2023—which prosecutors argued were partly funded by the £7,198 she had dishonesty claimed from the public purse.

Despite the mounting evidence, Kuczkowska initially doubled down on her lies when questioned, insisting Goralski was "only a friend" who resided elsewhere.

Court Ruling and Mitigation

At Norwich Magistrates' Court, Kuczkowska admitted to two counts of fraud by false representation and a third charge of failing to disclose a change in circumstances.

Anthony Nowacki, mitigating for the defence, told the court that Kuczkowska had been a contributing member of society working as a nurse until a car accident in 2015 left her wheelchair-bound. He stated she was "extremely sorry for her actions and accepts she made a mistake."

Magistrates heard that Kuczkowska has since repaid the £7,198 in full. Consequently, she was ordered to pay fines and costs totaling just £550. A harsher sentence was ruled out due to her health condition and the fact that the money had been returned.

Surrey Taxpayers and Public Fury

While the fraud took place in Norfolk, the leniency of the sentencing has struck a nerve with taxpayers in affluent home counties like Surrey, where council tax rates are among the highest in the country. Many residents feel that the justice system is failing to act as a deterrent against those who view the welfare state as a travel fund.

Critics argue that current legal frameworks, heavily influenced by European Human Rights (ECHR) considerations, often tie the hands of the judiciary, preventing the deportation or harsh sentencing of foreign nationals who defraud the system. There is a growing sentiment that the current administration under Keir Starmer is hampered by legal ties that prevent the robust action seen in other jurisdictions.

Henry Pardoe, a vocal critic of the current welfare loopholes, expressed the frustration felt by many:

 "More benefit cheats from 'overseas' require robust investigation by the authorities, particularly HMRC. How many of the undocumented in the UK are fraudulently obtaining benefits and paying no tax? President Trump removed over two million in less than three months in the US, and some were even sent to cheap, secure prisons in El Salvador, saving the taxpayer millions. We in the UK should adopt that methodology and start considering UK citizens FIRST for all UK taxpayer-funded benefits—we are not some sort of charity for the rest of the world."