A Plumstead father-of-three has been handed an 18 month prison sentence for fraud totalling more than £80,000.

Poobalasingam Sivabaskaran pleaded guilty to five offences relating to housing benefit fraud worth £85,820.56 during 2004 to 2014.

He was handed 18 months behind bars at Woolwich Crown Court last Friday (November 20) and as well as jail time will have to repay the amount in full.

Sivabaskaran declared he lived in a house on Heavitree Road with his wife and three children, paying £900 rent a month to a private landlord.

After an anonymous tip-off an investigation by Greenwich Council was launched into Sivabaskaran, 46.

MORE TOP STORIES They discovered the landlord was in fact his cousin – a relationship which had not been declared – and he only received around £400 of the £900 housing benefit awarded.

Further digging uncovered the sales assistant had undeclared bank accounts with money exceeding the limit which allows people to claim benefits.

When interviewed he initially replied ‘no comment’ to all questions.

Coun Maureen O’Mara, member for customer services, said “This is a significant sum of money and Mr Sivabaskaran’s greed has not only deprived others of much needed benefit assistance, but has cost him a lengthy period in jail away from his family.

“His actions were deplorable and I fully support the prison sentence.”