MAKING up to £20,000 a year from his York houses wasn't enough for landlord Shaun Yeomans - he was also a benefit cheat and a tax evader.

Despite renting out four homes, the 35-year-old businessman claimed benefit on the grounds that he lived on the dole and his partner's part-time earnings as a hairdresser, and had minimal savings, York magistrates heard.

Lawyers prosecuting for the City of York Council and Inland Revenue revealed how, at one point during the fraud, he withdrew £33,000 from his bank account, and the authorities have no idea where it went.

At the same time, he concealed his burgeoning property empire from benefit officers and the taxman - so he didn't pay a penny in taxes on his profits.

Together his tax and benefit fraud netted him £9,125 from the public purse that he was not entitled to.

But a sharp-eyed officer at City of York Council realised something was very wrong when one of Yeomans' tenants claimed housing benefit and named him as his landlord.

Council and taxman combined forces in a joint investigation that unmasked Yeoman's double deceit and put him before the court.

Yeomans, of Irwin Avenue, Heworth, York, pleaded guilty to four charges of benefit fraud and one of tax evasion, and was ordered to do 200 hours' community punishment.

He was also ordered to pay the prosecuting authorities' £650 court costs.

He told the magistrates: "I am just sorry for what I have done, and I am sorry I am such an embarrassment to my family."

He said his business currently makes £20,000 a year.

Barrister Robert Stevenson, for the Inland Revenue, said Yeomans had repaid at least £6,500 of the £8,142 tax he owed on his profits for the tax years between April 2000 and April 2004, and may have repaid all of it.

Between 2001 and 2004 a cash account rose from £1,000 to £40,000, but he had not filed self-assessment tax returns or told the Inland Revenue about his houses.

When investigated, Yeomans claimed he did not realise he was making a profit.

The court heard that in addition to the rents, the houses had shot up in value.

For the council, solicitor Jonathan Cripwell said Yeomans had falsely claimed £982.87 council tax benefit between April 2002 and July 2004. He had since repaid all of it.

Outside court, Yeomans ran away when the Evening Press tried to speak to him.

For most of the hearing, he had sat with head bowed.

Updated: 09:45 Saturday, December 03, 2005