A 40-year-old faked a letter from a landlord to illegally claim more than £12,000 in housing benefit.

Dawn Hardwick claimed housing and council tax benefit from Brighton and Hove City Council for a flat in Lansdowne Place, Hove.

But council officers became suspicious when she made a new claim last year and an investigation revealed she was not living at the flat and had falsified a letter from a landlord to make the application.

Brighton Magistrates’ Court was told Hardwick received £12,095.22 she was not entitled to.

She was sentenced to eight weeks in prison suspended for a year by Brighton Magistrates after admitting eight offences of benefit fraud between 2007 and 2009.

Hardwick, of Montpelier Road, Brighton, was also ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work in the community and pay £960 costs.

The 40-year-old told the court she would carry out all the unpaid work next month as she was moving to Holland in March to work for a flower company.