Mark Lloyd, of Wales, claimed £6,551.80 ($8511.48 USD) in disability payments after claiming that he could not walk more than 150 feet after a slipped disc in his back left him in agony.

While collecting Personal Independence Payments from the UK government, the 33-year-old was found to have climbed Africa’s highest peak, went wing-walking and skied in the Alps.

Chris Evans, prosecuting, said: “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.”

Images presented in court showed Lloyd with an African guide during his five-day trek to the peak of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania which involved walking between 8 and 12 hours a day.

He also took part in the World Powerboat Championships in Malta.

Lloyd had been medically discharged from the Army in 2011 after suffering an injury to his lower back while serving in Afghanistan.

James Harris, Lloyd lawyer said that his client had not been dishonest and that he was able to push through the pain barrier because of his Army training.

District Judge Martin Brown called Lloyd’s defence “nonsense” and said he deliberately lied to get “every penny he could”.

 

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