A MOTHER-OF-TWO has admitted claiming more than £26,000 in benefits that she was not entitled to.
Victoria Louise Norris, 33, of Seven Acres, Chorley pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining the benefits when she appeared before magistrates on the first day of a planned two-day trial.
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She had previously indicated a not guilty plea at an earlier hearing in December.
Chorley Magistrates Court was told that she had legitimately claimed income support and housing and council tax benefits on the grounds that she was an unemployed single parent.
However, magistrates heard that she failed to tell both the DWP and Chorley Council that she had reconciled with her partner, who was in work, more than two years earlier.
Norris was sentenced to a 12-month community order with supervision and 50 hours unpaid work.
She was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £200 and a victim surcharge of £60.
Councillor Graham Dunn, who oversees benefits payments for Chorley Council, said: “This means she not only has a substantial amount of overpaid benefit to repay, she also has a criminal conviction for fraud.
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