A man who fled after being investigated for benefit fraud has finally appeared in court.

Lewis Ainsworth, 29, of Carswell Circle, Upper Heyford, pleaded guilty at Didcot Magistrates' Court to four counts of failing to declare that he was working while in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance, housing and council tax benefits.

Ainsworth admitted failing to inform the Vale of White Horse District Council that he had started work at Business Post on the Nuffield Business Park, Abingdon, in November 2006.

Fraud investigators discovered that Ainsworth had claimed more than £1,000 he was not entitled to following an anonymous tip off to the council's fraud hotline in January.

Ainsworth was prosecuted by the council because he had also been cautioned previously for a similar offence in March last year.

The defendant was questioned by fraud investigators in April this year but fled Abingdon shortly afterwards.

He was tracked down in June when he was found to be living in his fiance's parent's house in Upper Heyford, where he was arrested.

Ainsworth will be sentenced by Didcot magistrates on January 15.

The council's revenues and benefits client manager Paul Howden said: "Claimants who are caught withholding financial or employment information when applying for benefits should realise that they can't hide and, with advanced technology at a fraud investigator's disposal, there are very few places to run."

Executive councillor with finance responsibility Tony de Vere said: "This is yet another example of a member of the public deciding that they have had enough of an individual claiming money they are not entitled to."