Case against Jordan employee dropped

The case against a stable-hand accused of claiming benefits for two years while working for Katie Price has been dropped.

Joanne Hillman, of Woodingdean, Brighton, began working for the glamour model in June 2003, but was alleged to have failed to inform the benefits office that she had a job.

She was said to have claimed £14,000 in income support, council tax benefit and housing benefit while employed as a stable-hand and later as a cleaner.

The 34-year-old had denied three counts of dishonestly failing to give prompt notification of a change of circumstances between June 2003 and May 2005.

Price testified at the trial at Lewes Crown Court in October and the jury were later discharged amid fears that Hillman would not get a fair trial.

A re-trial was scheduled for March, but Judge Richard Brown today returned not guilty verdicts on all three counts after prosecutors for the Department for Work and Pensions failed to offer any new evidence.

The DWP said in a statement: “When prosecuting a case we have to weigh up the cost to the public purse of the court proceedings and the loss to public funds through overpayment. All overpayments of this nature have to be paid back.”