A BENEFIT fraudster faces a year behind bars if she does not pay back more than £80,000 within six months.

Karen Fligg, 55, formerly of Jute Road, Acomb, concealed her marriage for seven years when claiming housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit on the grounds she was a single parent, York Crown Court heard.

In March, the court heard that she pretended she lived alone with her children at one house in Jute Road, while in reality she lived next door with her husband, Stephen Fligg.

At a confiscation hearing, under legislation aimed at stopping criminals profiting from their crimes, the prosecution declared her assets included equity in a house which is in her husband’s name because the couple had been married since 1993. The defence didn’t dispute this.

Recorder James Baird declared that she had benefited by £88,028 from her crimes and that her assets, including the equity from the house, was £81,294.12. He ordered her to hand over £81,294.12 within six months or face 12 months in jail.

Karen Fligg’s solicitor advocate Mark Partridge said she now lived in Manchester and had no contact with her husband, who was not in court.

The judge ordered that £23,739.98 of the confiscated money be paid as compensation to City of York Council.

Fligg received a six-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months on condition she did 12 months’ supervision and ten days’ specified activities after pleading guilty to two charges of social security fraud totalling £76,473.

She admitted claiming £52,0733 in income support, £18,167 in housing benefit and £5,572 in council tax benefit between June 26, 2005, and April 4, 2012. The benefit figures for confiscation hearings are calculated differently from those used for social security fraud, and can involve different items.

In March, York Crown Court heard that Karen Fligg originally claimed social security legitimately as a single mother because the couple were estranged, but when they got back together again, she did not tell the benefit authorities and from then on her social security claim was fraudulent.