"People saying bad stuff about us should be shot" says £30,000 benefits claimant

Gary Bateman and Joanne Sheppard pocket an estimated £30,000 a year in state handouts.

He claims £89.80 a week incapacity benefit for a bad back and is not thought to have worked since 1999. Because they are jobless they can claim a host of other benefits.

They live in a £300,000 five-bedroom home – the £1,200 a month rent paid for by housing benefit.

They live with ten of their youngest children – the oldest five have moved away – and receive £20.30 for their eldest and £13.40 for the remaining nine.

Last year, Mr Bateman’s claim to be unwell was called into question after he was filmed taking part in a motocross competition.

But the 46-year-old said: ‘People need to keep their noses out of our business and people saying bad stuff about us should be shot. I want to work but I can’t. I haven’t ridden my bike since last year.’

Miss Sheppard, 36, who has not worked for 20 years, said: ‘I just can’t understand what all the fuss is about.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1342076/State-funded-idleness-1-5m-spending-fifth-Christmas-row-sick-benefits.html#ixzz19O05huxn

Classy, isn't he?

How does this story make you feel?

That's stupid. We only hate some animals...for example, socialists

I joke. I joke.

LOL that was my thread!

I know my dad would absolutely love to be in work again, it's just not really possible. :/

thats the bit I don't get though - the amount of forms and evidence and proofs and doctors notes etc that are needed to claim things, we've had countless things sent back because my mum spelt something wrong or didn't provide "enough" evidence. It seems impossibly hard to fiddle the system, + child benefit is reduced the more kids you have so I can't see how it would possibly make up that much difference. Argh, I hate stories like this excuse me if I get ranty! thankfully they're in the minority.
It's the local council that would be paying their rent, I think - which is ridiculous, because we can't even get a council house

I'm not too bothered to be honest. The first major thing is that this was wrote by the daily fail so it loses any interest from me. Secondly, for everybody moaning about them getting this much money etc, they are living in that expensive house because there is nowhere else to put them-no other council houses so to speak exist within the area to house a family that size, so they have to put them into more expensive accomodation. Then the daily fail write about it making it sound like it's their fault there are no cheaper council houses, when infact it should be "LA ****s up and has to shell out £30,000 a year".

The system is the problem.

These people are obviously leeches and a drain on the state but from their own position, being unskilled and uneducated, it would just be foolish for them to voluntarily plunge themselves into hardship by working minimum wage jobs and taking home far less to live on than they receive through benefits.

When you can 'earn' twice as much on benefits than you would in a job, why would you choose the job?
I see people saying things like they should have "dignity," "self-respect" or "to contribute to society" but none of those things put food on the table.

I think you've missed the point a bit; we don't like this story because these people shouldn't get ANYTHING, not because their house is too expensive.

They do not need anything. They just want it. They're lazy.

I'm not too bothered to be honest. The first major thing is that this was wrote by the daily fail so it loses any interest from me. Secondly, for everybody moaning about them getting this much money etc, they are living in that expensive house because there is nowhere else to put them-no other council houses so to speak exist within the area to house a family that size, so they have to put them into more expensive accomodation. Then the daily fail write about it making it sound like it's their fault there are no cheaper council houses, when infact it should be "LA ****s up and has to shell out £30,000 a year".

Maybe he shouldn't have had so many bloody kids then.

I never understand these huge amounts that newspapers claim...

I know someone who can't work because she's a carer to her husband and youngest child. She gets £12 a week to live off (after housing), and the government are now considering not giving her husband anything either because they have decided he is fit to work despite aspergers syndrome, ME and having attempted work in the past and been forced to leave.

Basically what I'm trying to say is these kind of articles really pee me off because they manipulate the public in to thinking that anyone who receives benefits is simply lazy and is better off than people who aren't. Sometimes this is the case, but the majority of cases are people in genuine need, and they don't get much money at all.

Some people are lazy yes, but these cases aren't the case of many people on DSA. It's a generalisation given out by papers like the daily fail. But why should people be hated on and ripped to shreds when they need a bit of extra help? It could be me or you at any time.

Native british population is dying out so he is kind of doing a good job
and im not even native british

I agree that it's not always immigrants, but my father works in London with a very 'diverse' work team, and when he asked them why they all come over here the resounding answer was, without hesitation, "The benefits."

I find it difficult to understand how an immigrant who is working and paying taxes would be in this country for benefits. Benefits are generally given to people who don't work are they not?

Most immigrants I personally know work hard and pay taxes, they actually have a really good work ethic. As far as I know, if they are here for benefits, then they would be referring to economic benefits i.e. the pound is really strong. I've never met anyone who is in this country looking for government handouts as the Mail tends to describe. Economic migrants are generally here to look for work and they end up doing things like cleaning etc that some British people do not want to do.

There are immigrants who are on lifelong benefits and it's generally those who are first generation from maybe 30/20/10 years ago. They have not bothered to want to learn the English language and have also passed on this sort of culture to their relatives who decide to move into this country for benefits. They have also passed it onto their children. I highly doubt you would find such people in the workplace.
When they are talking to your dad, is it possible they are referring to economic benefits as opposed to handouts but then the language barrier means it comes across as if the are talking about welfare benefits?