A 60-YEAR-OLD woman who fraudulently claimed £7,200 in housing benefits has been jailed for six months.

Bernadette Anyakwo, of Adelaide Avenue, Brockley, pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of dishonestly claiming housing benefit at an earlier hearing last month.

But she was found guilty on five counts and handed the jail term at Blackfriars Crown Court on October 16.

Anyakwo completed housing benefit claims to Lewisham Council in which she either claimed no relationship with her landlord or failed to answer the question.

Investigations revealed the person she claimed was her landlord was in fact her son, with whom she lived.

During their investigations, officers found she had received housing benefit she was not entitled to between July 2002 and February 2003 and from March 2004 to October 2004.

Call the anti-fraud and corruption team on 0800 085 0119 or send an email to reportfraud@lewisham.gov.uk to report benefit fraudsters.