A BENEFITS cheat was swindling the British taxpayer out of thousands of pounds while she was living in the sun in Spain.

Mother-of-two Alana Urrutia, 36, from Newport, got away with fleecing the state out of nearly £50,000 before she was caught.

James Evans, prosecuting, said: “This case relates to benefit payments being fraudulently paid over a significant period of time.”

He told Newport Crown Court Urrutia, of Kier Hardy Crescent, had moved to Spain between 2013 and 2015 when part of the scam was taking place.

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She had falsely claimed income support and child tax credit from the government and housing benefit from Newport council.

The total amount of the swindle was £47,172.77.

Urrutia admitted one count of benefit fraud and one of dishonestly failing to notify of a change of circumstances when she appeared before Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court last month.

The offences took place between 2013 and 2018.

The court heard how the money is being recovered from Urrutia “bit by bit”.

Mr Evans said the defendant had one previous conviction from December 2020 for assaulting emergency workers for which she received a 12-month community order.

Ben Waters, representing her, said she had two young children and was receiving universal credit.

Judge Michael Fitton QC told Urrutia: “These offences were going on for a long time and they were for a considerable amount.”

He said her probation report had described the defendant’s life as being a “mess” and how she had suffered “problems with relationships”.

The judge added he didn’t think it would be in the public interest to send her to prison and for her children to go into care.

Urrutia was jailed for 30 weeks, suspended for 18 months.

She was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay a £100 victim surcharge.