A COUPLE carried out “a blatant abuse of welfare benefits” by fraudulently claiming nearly £54,000 while running a lettings agency.

James Furness has been sentenced to a suspended 16 month jail sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work and costs of almost £2,700 while Sonja Pullan was given 11 months suspended sentence, 100 hours unpaid work and £2,700 costs.

Fifty-year-old Furness, formerly of St Aubyns in Hove, told Brighton and Hove City Council he had one bank account but a joint investigation by officers and the Department for Work and Pensions revealed he had three additional business accounts for a company called Hove Properties.

The council’s investigation uncovered at least 18 properties being managed by Hove Properties.

Furness neglected to declare his 55-year-old partner Pullan, who was also in receipt of benefits, while his business accounts were all registered at the Goldstone Way address she lived in.

The investigation revealed that Pullan received income from foreign students as well as money from her work at Hove Properties.

Furness claimed to be paying rent while Pullan produced false receipts purporting to be for rent received from him.

Between them the couple claimed £22,000 in housing and council tax benefits as well as fraudulently claiming income support and Jobseekers’ Allowance, Brighton Crown Court heard today.

Tony Barnard, corporate fraud manager for Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “This was a blatant abuse of welfare benefits but thanks to the diligent efforts of officers from the council and DWP, we were able to prove overwhelming evidence of fraud.”

Council officers will now look to recover the money illegally claimed.