A BENEFIT cheat who claimed more than £15,000 fraudulently has been handed a suspended jail sentence.

Michael Biggs, of Pentrich Avenue, claimed the housing and council tax benefits between April 2007 and October 2010, despite investigators finding more than £30,000 in his bank account.

The 61-year-old was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence and ordered to do 140 hours of unpaid work, as well as pay £510 in costs, at Wood Green Crown Court on April 28.

Councillor Andrew Stafford, cabinet member for finance, said: “Biggs stole thousands from hard-working taxpayers and geniune claimants, but thanks to the diligence of our fraud team we tracked him down.

“Biggs needs to be hard at work putting something back into the community as Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has promised, whether it's breaking rocks or painting toilets at youth centres.”

The council's Housing Benefit Investigation Team first became suspicious of Biggs after receiving a report that revealed he had undeclared cash in bank accounts.

Bank statements showed that the fraudster had £34,731.05 in his Bradford & Bingley account when he submitted his first application for benefits in April 2007.

Benefit claimants can only hold £16,000 in bank accounts while they continue to claim.

Biggs pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming £12,898.76 in housing benefit and £2143.28 in council tax benefit.