BENEFITS cheats in York are being targeted as part of a continuing bid to stamp out fraud.

The most recent example of this is one York woman who claimed more than £8,000 in benefits to which she was not entitled.

Debra Bell, 36, of Doherty Walk, Foxwood, appeared before York Magistrates on April 14 following an investigation by City of York Council officers and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Bell claimed income support, as well as housing and council tax benefits for herself and her two children, on the basis that she was a lone parent, with no financial income or support from any other source.

As part of a drive to ensure there were no bogus York taxi drivers operating and no defective hackney or private hire vehicles in use, it came to light that York taxi driver, Michael Bell, had registered his address with taxi licensing at the same address from which Debra Bell was claiming benefit from.

Investigators from the DWP and City of York Council began a joint investigation.

It established that Michael Bell had moved in with Debra Bell in November 2002, but she continued to claim benefits as a lone parent. During the investigation, she reported that she had married Michael Bell in September, 2003, and had withdrawn her benefits claim.

As a result of her fraudulent actions, Bell was overpaid benefits totalling £8,345.33, made up of £5,221.40 income support, £2,667.14 housing benefit and £456.79 council tax benefit. She entered guilty pleas to two offences committed between November 2002 and September 2003, and has already made arrangements to begin repaying the money.

Magistrates gave her a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay £100 costs.

Max Thomas, the council's audit and fraud manager, said after the court hearing: "The council works closely with the DWP to identify and investigate fraud of the benefit system and this case shows that people who make false claims will be brought to justice."

Coun Quentin McDonald, City of York Council's executive member for resources, said: "We always prosecute people who defraud the system because we know that other taxpayers have to pay to make up the difference when somebody makes a fraudulent claim.

"People who make these kind of claims think it's all right because it's only the council they are defrauding, but in reality it's not - it's a theft from us all."

Updated: 10:23 Friday, April 22, 2005