A MOTHER-OF-TWO cheated Gloucester city council out of nearly £6,000 in housing benefit, a court was told on Thursday.
Sarah Moore, 31, of Scholars Walk, Quedgeley, failed to notify a change in her circumstances affecting her entitlement to social security benefit between April 2013 and November 2014.
She admitted the offence when she appeared before District Judge Joti Bopa-Rai at Cheltenham magistrates' court.
Prosecutor Rebecca Gardner said: "She worked in the accounting department of Capita, joining Invista in 2013, and her wages were increased.
"But she did not inform the city council of this increase and continued to claim housing benefit totalling £5,999."
The court then heard that the defendant joined Capita nine years ago and has been on a number of accounting courses.
She got divorced in 2011 and was currently £24,000 in debt, the court was told.
The district judge imposed a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered the defendant to pay 85 in prosecution costs.
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