Football ref will repay benefits

A football referee secretly filmed in charge of a game while claiming disability benefits has been sentenced to a 12-month community order. Christopher Stockwell, 52, of Kidwelly, was also ordered by magistrates at Haverfordwest to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and will repay the £9,034.

He had admitted failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of changes affecting his allowances. Department officials filmed him at a game between Ponthenry and Kidwelly. They had been tipped off that he was officiating in matches.

At an earlier hearing the court heard he had been claiming disability benefits since October 1996. He was being paid at a level reserved for those who were in a wheelchair or could move only on crutches or with a walking stick.

Stockwell was also getting benefits to help him wash himself at home because of the degree of his disability.

His solicitor, Steven Donoghue, had said he had suffered a serious back injury after falling at work. But he gradually improved and found that pain killers enabled him to get around. He was encouraged to return to refereeing as a way out of depression.