A family of five who pocketed almost £80,000 through a Black Country benefit fraud have all been spared an immediate jail term.

The racket lasted almost eight years and involved three different properties in Smethwick and Edgbaston.

The con involved newsagent Mahroof Hussain, 44, his wife Farida Bi, his lover Manjit Dhillon, and his sisters Farida Begum and Jamilia Bi.

Dhillon, 41, gave a false name for her landlord while living in a house in Smethwick owned by Hussain and collected £40,805 over almost eight years, Wolverhampton crown court heard.

Farida Bi, 43, pulled an identical trick on a house in Southfield Road, Edgbaston, owned by relatives, bringing in £16,753.

Farida Begum, 39, made similar false claims getting £14,302 over four years on a house in Bowden Road, Smethwick and Jamilia Bi, 35, pulled a similar con that netted £4,446 .

The women each admitted making false claims while Hussain pleaded guilty to allowing his wife and lover to make false claims.

Dhillon was given a 10 month suspended jail sentence and 150 hours’ unpaid work; Hussain from Rotton Park Road, Edgbaston, got a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months; Farida Bi and Farida Begum, of Rotton Park Road and Bowden Road respectively, each received six month suspended prison sentences and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Jamilia Bi of Manor Road, Smethwick, was given a 12 month community order under supervision and 100 hours’ unpaid work.

By John Scott