A BROMSGROVE woman who cheated the benefits system out of more than £14,000 has become the latest Bromsgrove resident to be taken to court by Bromsgrove District Council.

Mandy Lines, 40, of Breakback Road pleaded guilty at Redditch Magistrates Court to 10 charges of dishonestly making false statements to obtain housing benefit and council tax benefit to which she was not entitled.

On Wednesday, June 16, magistrates heard that from 1997-2002 and also in 2007 she had completed 10 application forms for benefit in which she stated that she lived as a lone parent with her children.

An investigation by the council corporate anti-fraud team obtained evidence that her husband to whom she had been married since 1993 was in fact living with her for the majority of that time. This resulted in an overpayment of housing and council tax benefits which totalled £14,573.32.

Lines was sentenced to four months imprisonment suspended for 18 months together with an 18 month community order with supervision. She was also ordered to pay back £12,477.75 in compensation. She was warned that if she did not comply with the order, or committed any further offences, she was likely to go to prison.

A Bromsgrove District Council spokesman said: “We will use every avenue open to us to catch those who abuse the system. Cheating the system is a crime that affects everybody in the community.”

Any suspected fraud can be reported to Bromsgrove District Council 01527 881221, by e-mail to hotline@bromsgrove.gov.uk, or by entering details on the fraud referral form on the Council’s website www.bromsgrove.gov.uk.