A MOTHER-of-three who stated she was a single parent falsely claimed more than £8,000 in benefits after getting married and having her husband move in.

Over a three-year period, Rachel Angus, 41, dishonestly obtained income support, council tax benefit and housing benefit by making false statements and not declaring her partner lived with her.

Angus, of Chestnut Avenue, in Spennymoor, made the claims at a time when she had been diagnosed with cancer and was receiving chemotherapy treatment.

Joanne Hesse, prosecuting at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court yesterday, said: “The claims were made between February 11, 2013, and March 31, 2016 on the basis she was a single person with dependent children.

“The overpayment was a total of £8,241.41. The defendant was interviewed on March 31, 2016, and initially denied the allegations, saying her boyfriend had moved out of the house not long after they got married.

“But she later admitted her boyfriend had never moved out of the house and had been living there since December 2012 and stated the claim and the money was for themselves as her boyfriend had been in an out of work.”

Angus pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to notify Durham County Council over a change of circumstances and making a false statement.

She is repaying the sum to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and is expected to clear the debt in 2021.

Ben Pegman, mitigating, said: “You have seen medical evidence that Mrs Angus was diagnosed with cancer and going through chemotherapy at that time and she was in dialogue with the DWP during that period.

“At that time, she couldn’t be in a public place because her immune system was low and even now she’s far from out of the woods.

“She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and goes every three months for a check-up and she’s generally quite weak with ill-health.

"It’s not a situation where her lifestyle has been in any way lavish. It was simply to bring up her children.”

Angus was given a 12-month conditional discharge.