An Anerley man has been spared jail after he admitted cheating Bromley Council out of £8,490 in benefits.

Efosa Ero, of Ridsdale Road, was sentenced at Bromley Magistrates’ Court for defrauding the council out of housing and council tax benefits.

From last March to February this year, the 36-year-old had continued to claim childcare costs for his daughter who was living with her mother in Scotland.

A fraud investigation began following an anonymous tip-off that showed Ero had failed to declare the change in circumstance.

On August 26 Ero was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge. The magistrate also ordered him to pay £500 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

On top of his criminal record, Ero has been ordered to pay all the money back to Bromley Council.

Bromley Council’s audit committee chairman Councillor Neil Reddin said: “This case shows that information from the public is investigated diligently and has led to the prosecution of this cheat.

“We will protect public funds and ensure that they are only used for those in genuine need.”

According to the council, the case brings the total number of Bromley benefit claimants prosecuted to 375 since Bromley and Greenwich Council started working together to trace and prosecute benefit fraudsters.