A carer who claimed £23,000 worth of benefits despite having £30,000 stashed away has been sentenced to a 12-month community service order.

Mary Jarvis, 46, was sentenced at Croydon Magistrates’ Court last Thursday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to fraudulently claiming income support, jobseeker’s allowance, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

The offences were committed between October 2002 and June 2007.

An anonymous tip off alerted authorities that Jarvis, of Greenmead Close, South Norwood, had thousands of pounds in savings and investments, which she had hidden in various accounts.

The court heard that Jarvis first made claims for income support, housing and council tax benefit on the basis that she was a lone parent.

When first interviewed about her benefit claim, Jarvis denied that she had savings. She said her mother had given her £8,000 to give to her children when they reached 21, and that money had gone to her daughter.

However, during the course of council investigations, it was discovered that she had failed to disclose that she had inherited more than £27,687 after her father’s death in March 2003.

When confronted with the evidence of the money Jarvis said she had given the inheritance away as she did not want to lose her benefits.

She told the court that the money had been used on house repairs, to pay off her son’s and daughter’s debts and to buy a car.

Councillor Sara Bashford, cabinet member for resources and customer services, said: “It has never been more important for councils to fight fraud.

“Every year hundreds of thousands of pounds are lost to benefit cheats who are depriving those who really need the help by diverting funds into their own pockets.”

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