Ex-paratrooper dubbed ‘Action Man’ jailed for swindling £7,000 disability benefits claiming he was unable to walk – while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and skiing in the Alps
Mark Lloyd, 33, told benefits assessors he was too weak to walk more than 50 metres
AN ex-soldier who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro while fraudulently claiming thousands of pounds in disability benefits has been sentenced to 20 weeks in prison today.
Former paratrooper Mark Lloyd, 33, swindled £7,000 after claiming a slipped disc in his back left him in "excruciating pain".
He was known as "Action Man Mark" - because of his love of gruelling physical activities around the world.
But he said he was too weak to walk more than 50 metres - then climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and went skiing in the Alps.
On Thursday, District Judge Martin Brown said the claims were "completely and utterly fanciful".
Sentencing Lloyd, from Pontypridd, South Wales, to 20 weeks in prison, he said: "You have blatantly lied to this court throughout and I hope that you will reflect on that throughout your sentence."
The 33-year-old also won a triathlon and competed in the Phoenix Winter Games while receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) from October 2014 to February 2016.
LLoyd, from Pontypridd, South Wales, denied dishonestly failing to disclose information to make a gain for himself but was convicted after a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court in July.
The court heard how Lloyd told benefits assessors that he needed walking aids, suffered pain when walking short distances and could not bend or stretch.
Lloyd, who was found to have overstated his needs, was paid £6,551.80 in benefits over a period when he climbed Africa's highest peak over five days of walking between eight and 12 hours per day.
Lloyd also took part in the World Powerboat Championships in Malta and competed in a triathlon, and during the period completed a further claim form in which he stated his mobility and care needs had increased.
Laura Walters, a prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service's specialist fraud division, said: "Lloyd vastly overstated his care needs in order to claim the cash but he could not hide from the overwhelming evidence put forward by the prosecution, including photos of his participation in a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro and his participation in a triathlon."
A court heard earlier this month how he used his benefits cash to help fund his travels around the globe - including a hike up Mount Kilimanjaro and a skiing trips to the Alps.
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Prosecutor Chris Evans said: "You'd be forgiven for thinking this was two different people from hearing about his condition and how it affected his day-to-day life, and then hearing about the type of activities he was undertaking.
"He set out in his claim forms he needs a walking aid and on a bad day he can't bend and reach his knees.
"He said he can only walk between 20 and 50 metres, can't walk on uneven ground, suffers pain when walking long distances and needs to sit down every 20 minutes.
"That does not tally up with the activities he was undertaking.";
Lloyd took part in punishing physical activities to raise money for charity - including climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, tackling triathlons, skiing in the Swiss Alps and wing-walking.
The court was shown photos of Lloyd taken during the HSBC triathlon in September 2015, where he finished first.
He was also pictured in the same month posing with an African guide during his five-day trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
The court heard Lloyd was medically discharged from the Army in 2011 after suffering injury to his lower back while serving in Afghanistan.
In 2014 Lloyd applied for the Personal Independence Payment - up to £141 a week for those suffering long-term ill health to help cover costs of their care.
He then applied for more money a year later, saying his condition had worsened and he would be bedridden for a day if he walked more than 50 metres.
James Harris, defending, said Lloyd had not been dishonest - and had simply been able to push through the pain barrier because of his training in the Army.
District Brown said: "The very fact he lied about a number of factors shows he realised he was being dishonest.
"He blatantly lied about the severity of his condition."
Lloyd, of Pontypridd, South Wales was found guilty of fraud at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court.
The court heard his latest offence took place while he was serving a 20-week suspended prison sentence for common assault.
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