A BENEFIT cheat has been sentenced to 280 hours community service after being caught out by council workers.

David Gibbons, 33, fraudulently applied for housing and council tax benefits by claiming he rented his home in The Limes, Abridge.

In fact he owned the house - something Epping Forest District Council officers discovered when they uncovered a previous benefit application form he completed in July 2008 in which he named himself as the owner.

At a hearing at Harlow Magistrates’ Court on Saturday March 6, Gibbons pleaded guilty to two counts of benefit fraud.

He then failed to attend a sentencing hearing on Tuesday April 6 so a warrant for his arrest was issued, but he returned to court of his own volition on Friday April 9.

Gibbons was sentenced to a 24-month Community Order with 280 hours unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay the council’s prosecution costs of £648.

A council spokesman said: "He claimed to rent the property in The Limes, Abridge as an assured shorthold tenant.

"Giving details of his landlord, rent, the date he had moved in and claimed that he did not own his own home and that he had never owned the property.

"He also provided a letter from the purported letting agent confirming details of his tenancy.

"Following the receipt of these benefit claims forms from David Gibbons, officers at Epping Forest District Council carried out investigations. It was revealed that Mr Gibbons had completed an application form for Council Tax Benefit in July 2008 as owner of the property.

"Further investigations revealed that he still owned the property and the contents of his application form were false, as was the letter from the purported letting agent."