Suspended sentence for £47k benefit cheat

A widow from the Black Country who dishonestly claimed more than £47,000 in housing benefit and council tax for 12 years has been handed a 40-week suspended jail sentence.

Hazara Banu, of Smethwick was given the sentence, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to two counts of false accounting and eight of dishonesty and making a false statement at Wolverhampton Crown Court. A 12 month supervision order was also imposed.

In sentencing, Judge Michael Dudley told Banu: "You recognise that what you did was seriously wrong."

He added: "I have to make it clear that these offences are serious with a sentence of imprisonment but it will be suspended."

The court yesterday heard that Banu, aged 68, of Melbourne Road, had falsely claimed housing benefit and council tax from March 1996 to July 2008 by omitting from claim forms that her landlord was also her son.

The majority of the money had been claimed in housing benefit. The court also heard that Banu, who speaks the Bangladeshi language of Sylheti and was addressed through an interpretor, had become widowed very soon after coming to Britain.

Prosecuting solicitor Jonathan Challinor said the claims were "fraudulent from the outset and were carried out over a significant period of time".

He added: "She was worried that if she told the truth she would not have received benefits."

But defending solicitor Sarah Buckingham called for the suspended sentence, citing Banu's ill heath and the fact that this was her first offence.

She added that her client was remorseful, saying: "The proceedings have brought great shame, embarrassment and great fear upon her."

She also added that Banu had a very limited income and members of her community would pay back the deficit to the local authority if necessary.

Judge Dudley said: "It is very much to the credit of the community that they are prepared to come to your rescue. I can only hope the local authority does take up this offer."