A CLEANER who conned her way into receiving more than £10,000 in housing benefits in a period of two and a half years is today carrying out unpaid labour because of the scam.

A CLEANER who conned her way into receiving more than £10,000 in housing benefits in a period of two and a half years is today carrying out unpaid labour because of the scam.

Linda Doy said she struggled with form filling and had got someone else to complete the paperwork stating she was eligible for housing benefit and council tax relief in August 2003.

But when Suffolk Coastal District Council made its own investigations it discovered she was living with her partner who owned his own property elsewhere.

Doy, 49, of Pembroke Avenue, Woodbridge pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement to obtain benefits at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court.

Claudine Acrey, prosecuting on behalf of the counsel said: “In interview with the counsel in June 2006 she claimed she had visited them in person and told them he owned a house but the council had failed to make a record of this”.

Stephen Broadhurst, mitigating said: “In 2002 she lived on her own and her partner, Colin Simpson, was just a friend but he suffered a stroke in December 2002 and when he came out of hospital he wasn't well enough to look after himself so he moved in with her.

“Although he had tenants in his house they were friends or relatives and did not pay any rent”.

Doy, who was making repayments on the falsely claimed benefits from her two cleaning jobs, still owes an amount of £8,933. She was sentenced to 60 hours of unpaid work and was made to pay £50 court costs.