A WOMAN who falsely claimed more than £31,000 in benefits after failing to declare she was living with her partner was given a suspended prison sentence.

Carly Meredith, 23, of Marine Street, Cwm, falsely claimed a total of £31, 243.96 in income support, housing benefit and council tax between December 2008 and August 2012, Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court heard.

Meredith appeared at the court where she pleaded guilty to one count of dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit and two counts of dishonestly failing to notify a change of circumstances affecting her entitlement to benefit.

Prosecutor Mark Salter said Meredith had initially claimed benefits as a single parent and so the claim wasn’t fraudulent at the outset.

But she had failed to declare a change in circumstance when her partner started living at the same address as her, leading to the false claims.

In mitigation, the court heard the money was being repaid back and that over the past seven months, she had been repaying £300 a month.

It was also said that Meredith had originally been claiming as a single parent, but then her partner had moved back in on a casual basis before it became more permanent.

Meredith was sentenced to 14 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months.

She was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £80 victim surcharge as well.