A WOMAN with �16,000 a savings in the bank fraudulently claimed more than �5,000-worth, Huntingdon Magistrates Court heard. Rebecca O Keefe, 40, of Skipper Way, Little Paxton, was recently investigated and prosecuted by Huntingdonshire District Council fo

A WOMAN with �16,000 a savings in the bank fraudulently claimed more than �5,000-worth, Huntingdon Magistrates Court heard.

Rebecca O'Keefe, 40, of Skipper Way, Little Paxton, was recently investigated and prosecuted by Huntingdonshire District Council for benefit fraud.

The court heard that O'Keefe had pleaded guilty to two charges of benefit fraud at an earlier hearing.

Magistrates were told that O'Keefe had made a claim for housing and Council Tax benefit in November 2007, declaring that she was a lone parent in part-time work with no savings. In January 2008, a member of the public made an allegation that O'Keefe had capital in an undeclared bank account. An investigation revealed that O'Keefe had a building society account at the time she had made her claims for benefit and that she had savings of more than �16,000. As a result, O'Keefe was overpaid �5,557.61. Peter Vialls said in mitigation for O'Keefe that she was single parent and had made arrangements to repay the council the benefits overpaid. The court ordered O'Keefe to complete a 12 month community supervision order with the probation service and pay the councils costs of �440.