Rogerstone woman "defrauded public purse and council tax payers" of more than £34,000

Jennifer Bristow, of Thornbury Park, Rogerstone, Newport, made the claims on the basis that she was a single woman who was living alone.

But a sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court was told that she had been living with a partner since 2011, when the offences began.

It was also revealed that both had made payments into a joint account.

Bristow, 54, pleaded guilty before magistrates last month to two charges of dishonestly making a false statement to obtain benefit.

Judge Stephen Hopkins sentenced her to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, on each charge, to run concurrently.

She must also pay £340 costs and a £140 victim surcharge, and will be subject to an electronically tagged curfew for four months.

The total of £34,369.53 in falsely claimed money comprised more than £18,000 in housing benefit and more than £16,000 in ESA.

Defence counsel Sarah Waters told the court that Bristow had not tried to minimise the seriousness of the issue or make excuses.

She had held a range of jobs, latterly that of an auxiliary nurse, before a cancer diagnosis in 2011.

Miss Waters said Bristow thus had to give a nursing job she loved and had been through a "hideous" part of her life, and her partner had disappeared from her life in the wake of these proceedings.

"The money has not gone on a lavish lifestyle, but instead on day-to-day expenses," said Miss Waters.

Judge Hopkins noted that Bristow has been "bedevilled" by, and still suffers from, ill health and this along with the findings in a pre-sentence report and character references had persuaded him to suspend the prison sentence.

He said that Bristow's explanation that she did not think she had to report her changed circumstances because she did not think the relationship would last, was "not convincing, not least because you had a shared bank account".

"You defrauded the public purse and council tax payers," he said.