A benefits cheat from the Black Country who dishonestly claimed more than £16,000 has avoided jail.

Gloria Saunders, aged 47, had previously pleaded guilty to two charges of dishonestly making a false statement between 2001 and 2007.

Saunders, from Wheeler House, Oldbury Green in Oldbury, also admitted four charges of allowing another person to fail to give prompt notification of a change of circumstances.

The court heard this was because Saunders had filled out a benefits claims form on behalf of her husband stating she was not employed, when in fact she was.

As the form was in her husband’s name it was his responsibility to give notification of a change in circumstances.

She appeared before West Bromwich Magistrates Court yesterday for sentencing.

Mrs Helen Pinning, prosecuting, told the court Saunders had filled out a benefits form for her husband but did not declare she was working.

When she was invited for an interview under caution she admitted the matter and was co-operative.

Magistrates were told Saunders received an overpayment of £16,823 and had no previous convictions.

Mr Martin Thomas, defending, told the court: “Mrs Saunders appears in court today with her husband, has pleaded guilty to these matters and there’s a degree of culpability.

“But there are issues in this report which show very clearly what has happened and why it has happened.

“I’m instructed not to apportion blame, but I read these papers and wonder whether the right person was here before the court, but the charges have been brought forward after an investigation which has taken at least 14 months.”

He added: “The money that was received illegally was not to buy a house, to buy a car, to go on holiday or to buy alcohol.

“She doesn’t own a house and has never been on holiday. The money that she has had coming to her has been acquired for the reasons set out in the report.

“She has stood by her partner at a time when she has been suffering from depression and receives counselling and is taking medication for her depression.

“She’s remorseful and extremely worried, but she has been extremely forthright in her interview and apart from the actual commission of the offence, namely the preparation of these forms she has done everything since then that she should have done,” he added.

Saunders was sentenced to a 12 month community order, with a supervision requirement and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.