SINGLE mother-of-three Anne Maughan received a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to benefit fraud.

The 35-year-old, of Broadfield Road, Goldenhill, admitted failing to notify a change in her circumstances when claiming income support between August 2003 and August 2007. In that time she was overpaid £16,385.03.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard yesterday Maughan, who has no previous convictions, failed to tell the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) she had capital in excess of the prescribed limits.

Iain Speed, representing the DWP, said Maughan had accounts with Britannia Building Society in which there was more than £36,000.

He said: "She was interviewed under caution in 2007. She said the money in the accounts belonged to her uncle who lived in Ireland and he used the money to buy houses and then horses."

The court heard the DWP accepted the cash belonged to her uncle.

Mr Speed said Maughan had started to repay the money at a rate of £3.75 a week.

Richard Littler, defending, said: "This is not the normal benefit fraud case.

"She was always entitled to income support. She did not disclose monies in her account that belonged to someone else.

"Those monies were always to be repaid to that individual. The only benefit she would gain would be the interest on that cash."

Judge Granville Styler accepted it was not the normal type of benefit fraud. He handed Maughan a five-month prison term, suspended for two years, with a residence requirement.