A WOMAN who defrauded a council out of thousands of pounds has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Tracey Jane Battell, of Saxton Road, Abingdon, used correction fluid to falsify bank statements and payslips to claim £9,500 in benefits from Vale of White Horse District Council.

Battell fraudulently claimed Job Seekers’ Allowance, income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit between December 2002 and October 2008 while working for three different organisation.s At Didcot Magistrates’ Court, the 39-year-old admitted six charges of dishonestly failing to report changes in her circumstances which would have affected her benefit entitlement.

She was given a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours community service.

She will also have to pay back the money she fraudulently received and £100 in costs.

* A report by the Audit Commission showed the Vale and South Oxfordshire district councils paid out £960,000 too much in housing benefit in 2008/2009.

The councils could lose £141,129 in Government subsidy as a result of errors. The authorities claimed council tax levels would not be affected by the mistakes and pledged to vigorously monitor benefits contractor Capita.