Mother from Shrewsbury claimed extra £13,000 in benefits

Collette Davies, 49, was paid £12,543.52 in employment support allowances and £281 in council tax benefits from November 2012 to December 2013.

She pleaded guilty to two offences of failing to notify of a change of circumstances relating to her entitlement to council tax benefit and employment support allowance when she appeared at Telford Magistrates Court.

She failed to tell Shropshire Council and the Department for Work and Pensions that her former boyfriend was living at the property, in Copthorne Park, Shrewsbury.

Davies had been paid the allowances on the basis that she was a single parent.

Mr Andrew Holland, for Davies, said: "Her husband, after she was in hospital with a stroke, left the family and went to Tenerife where his mother had a flat. When she recovered she would go to see him and although he said he would come back, he didn't.

"This left her in a very fragile state. She used an online service and met a man. He had a son and was struggling and she felt sorry for them.

"In about March 2013 he and his son moved in. By the summer Mrs Davies and he were in a relationship. She bought him a car, gave him cash and he was using her account to pay bills.

"It didn't occur to her for a moment that she should tell the DWP that he was there.

"For a number of months he was supportive. However, things became sour and around October 2013 he moved out and she hasn't seen him since.

"When he left she had £35,000 in debts of which £20,000 was attributed to him. She is now bankrupt and the house is due to be repossessed."

Miss Charlotte Gessey, prosecuting, told the court Davies was not charged with dishonesty under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 because she had correctly filled in the application form and had not intended to defraud the authorities from the outset.

The magistrates gave Davies an 18-month conditional discharge.