A 49-year-old woman who claimed more than £53,000 in benefit she was not entitled to has been jailed for nine months.

The sentence was passed on Diana Dancer despite a judge hearing that she was in poor health, suffering from Crohn’s Disease, diabetes and asthma,

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Dancer, of of Primrose Road, Dover, claimed income support for seven years on the basis that her husband, Timothy, was not working.

But Mr Dancer was employed by Hoverspeed as a deckhand, earning about £1,100 a month.

Dancer’s lawyer submitted it was not necessary for her to go to prison and a community punishment order could be imposed.

But Mr Recorder Harry Turcan said: "The scale of these offences and the time during which it was persisted in calls inevitably for a custodial sentence."

Dancer admitted eight charges of making a false representation and asked for 79 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

Mary Jacobson, prosecuting, said Dancer started receiving income support in April 1997. On forms, she ticked a box stating her husband was not working.

Dancer also claimed housing benefit and council tax benefit. Again, she declared that her husband was not working.

But it transpired that Mr Dancer was working from May 27 1997, just over a month after the initial claim for income support began.

"Had the true situation been known, no benefit would have been paid," said Miss Jacobson.

The total overpayment was £53,805 - just over £38,500 in income support and more than £15,000 in housing and council tax benefit.

John Bishop, defending, said Dancer found a cleaning job and made an arrangement to repay the money. She had so far paid back about £6,000 and was continuing to pay £440 a month.

"It is trite to observe that if she were to receive a custodial sentence, these payments would not be met," said Mr Bishop.

Recorder Turcan told Dancer that the money her husband was earning was clearly sufficient for their needs.

The sentencing bracket for such offences, he said, was relatively high to reflect a deterrent element.