A Farnborough woman has been spared jailed after she admitted cheating Bromley Council out of £14,855 in benefits.

Dawn Baker, of Broadwater Gardens, was sentenced at Bromley Magistrates’ Court for defrauding the council out of housing and council tax benefits over four years.

From February 2010 to June this year, the 68-year-old had failed to declare she received a private pension and that her daughter was living with her.

On September 4, Baker was sentenced to an eight week prison term suspended for 12 months, a 12 week curfew from 10pm to 6am and ordered to pay £575 costs.

Baker has been ordered to pay all the money back to the council.

Bromley Council’s audit committee chairman Councillor Neil Reddin said: "Thanks to a proactive exercise by our investigation team, we have successfully prosecuted this person for cheating Bromley taxpayers out of public funds that should only be used for people in genuine need."