Coventry woman jailed for 'claiming £17,000 in support two years after mum died'

Agnieszka Macugowska was sentenced to 31 months in jail at Warwick Crown Court



A Coventry woman who fraudulently claimed over £17,000 in financial support has been jailed. Agnieszka Macugowska was receiving around £200 a week to care for her mother up to two years after she had died.

Warwick Crown Court heard that the mum had a Care Plan with Coventry City Council that began in 2015. She received a cash payment to cover support for 15 hours and 45 minutes a week, which she managed with support from her daughter Macugowska.

Payments started at £184.28 weekly and increased to £191.36 per week in April 2019. In 2020, Coventry City Council requested information so payments could be monitored, but Macugowska told them that her mother still lived in Coventry but had changed GPs and travelled abroad.

Macugowska, 45, then provided information to Coventry City Council to support the use of the direct payments she was receiving. Officials conducted a home visit in 2020, during which they met Macugowska, a woman introduced as her mother and a woman presented as her carer, Warwick Crown Court heard.

But further inquiries revealed that her mother had died in November 2018 whilst abroad. Macugowska was jailed for 31 months at Warwick Crown Court and the falsely claimed sum of more than £17,000 was recovered.

Cllr Abdul Salam Khan, Deputy Leader of Coventry City Council and Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities, said: “So many people in our city are going through tough times caring for loved ones, and that brings an incredible emotional and financial strain. We work with relatives to give them the support they need, but sadly, there are some unscrupulous people who think they can exploit the system and secure financial gain for themselves.”

He added: “It is well known that Coventry, like all local authorities, is facing severe pressure on its budget, and a lot of that is because of the increasing costs in caring for adults and children and supporting the most vulnerable in our community.

“It is a responsibility we take very seriously and we work hard to help as many as we can, and we will not stand by and let the system be exploited. As in this case, we will investigate and ensure those who steal from others are prosecuted.

“We welcome the finding of this case and the sentence imposed. Hopefully, it will serve to show others the severe consequences they will face if they break the law.”