A Clacton woman made illegal benefit claims for more than £7,000 while living with her mother, a court heard yesterday.

Katherine Cooper, 45, moved into the five-bedroomed property in Thorpe, on the basis that it would be rent-free, but she would cover the bills.

Alison Underhill, prosecuting for Tendring Council, said the authority received a tip-off that Cooper's landlady was her mother.

But in the meantime, she received £7,194 in housing benefit, £7,080.60 of which was still outstanding.

At a previous court hearing in Colchester, Cooper, now of Newington Gardens, admitted making a false representation to obtain benefit between March 1, 2001, and January 19 last year.

Colchester magistrates gave her an 80-hour community punishment order and told her to pay £225 costs.

Paul Tawn, mitigating, said the mother, following the death of her husband, moved into Cooper's flat in Connaught Avenue, Frinton.

He said: "At the flat, income and expenditure were balanced. But then they moved into the mum's house, and expenditure rocketed. It was far dearer than she expected.

"She was not living the high life by any stretch of the imagination." She took on a part-time job, approved by the Benefits Agency, to supplement her income support, the court heard.

Mr Tawn said the mother died in October, and Cooper would inherit the proceeds of her house. She planned to pay back the amount due within the next three months.

Imposing an 80-hour community punishment order, the bench said: "Custody was a very serious option today. This was a very substantial fraud against the council."

Published Thursday, January 16, 2003

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