Ex-Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno pled guilty to stealing over £45,000 in benefits at Salisbury Crown Court last Friday. He is due to be sentenced on March 11 and facing jail. 52-year-old Di’Anno, real name Paul Andrews, lied about a spine condition in order to claim income support – but was caught out when Department of Work and Pensions investigators saw YouTube footage of him jumping around onstage in 2006. The singer now faces a custodial sentence after admitting to eight counts of benefit fraud. After leaving Iron Maiden in 1981 over alleged drug problems and an inability to perform, Di’Anno took part in a slew of unsuccessful projects including Di’Anno, Killers, Gogmagog and Battlezone. Friday marks another sad chapter in his life, one haunted by conflict, drug abuse and troubles with the law.
