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Keiji Maeda
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Entertainer Jailed For Faking Disability
10:20am Tuesday October 05, 2010
Andy Winter
A man who said he could barely walk and claimed £35,000 in benefits while secretly working as a children's entertainer called Wavey Davey has been jailed.
David Simpson, aka 'Wavey Davey', arrives at Warrington Crown court
Former gymnast David Simpson pocketed Disability Living Allowance after telling officials he was "virtually invalid" for at least nine years. Speaking outside Warrington Crown Court, Sky News' Tessa Chapman explained how the 45-year-old from Widnes was rumbled after an anonymous tip-off led to a covert Department for Work and Pensions investigation.
Undercover surveillance footage showed a fit and healthy Wavey Davey performing at children's parties in the Liverpool area and carrying heavy equipment around. Chapman added: "Other evidence showed he had actually performed a tandem skydive during the time when he said he couldn't walk for more than 20 or 30 feet without pain."Former gymnast David Simpson pocketed Disability Living Allowance after telling officials he was "virtually invalid" for at least nine years. Speaking outside Warrington Crown Court, Sky News' Tessa Chapman explained how the 45-year-old from Widnes was rumbled after an anonymous tip-off led to a covert Department for Work and Pensions investigation.
'Glowing references' did not save David Simpson from jail
He had also been working as a gymnastics instructor for Liverpool City Council. After winning a silver medal at the Alternative Commonwealth Games in 1986, Simpson's career was cut short by injuries sustained in a car crash. Initially, his disability claims were legitimate but he failed to alert the Department for Work and Pensions when he had recovered. Wavey Davey pleaded guilty to false accounting. Chapman said he received some "glowing references" in court, but the judge decided his conduct was too blatant and opted for a prison sentence of 24 weeks.
