A FAMILY man fraudulently claimed dole while he worked as the head of security at a popular Accrington nightspot, a court was told.

Munsaf Khan, 43, of Warwick Close, in Church, had already begun working at Bailey's Cafe Bar, in Church Street, Accrington, when he applied for jobseekers allowance.

The father-of-four, who is currently living away from his family, pleaded guilty when he appeared before Hyndburn magistrates.

The court was told he started claiming jobseekers allowance on April 23 and continued to claim it until June 27, when he was quizzed about any other earnings.

And at first he denied having paid work, magistrates heard.

At the time of the fraudulent claims, he was head of security at Bailey's, although, in his defence, he was laid off from that job as business dropped off. He was, however, retained by the bar, working shifts.

The court was told his earning varied between £68 and £180 per week.

In total, Khan received £445.01 in benefits he was not entitled to, magistrates was told.

The bench, chaired by Pam Barton, sentenced Khan to 40 hours community service and ordered him to pay £75 costs.

The Department of Work and Pensions will now reclaim the money he owes them.

His defence said that Khan was now actively seeking more regular employment to ensure he could pay back what he earned through fraud.

He now averaged seven-and-a-half hours a week at Bailey's.