A woman received more than £53,000 in fraudulent benefits over a period of nearly four years, a court has heard.

Aneta Kudryk, 46, received the money between July 2018 and February 14 2022 after failing to let Bolton Council or HMRC know that her children were no longer in her care.

Bolton Crown Court heard that she received the money through a combination of housing benefits and working tax credits during that time.

Prosecutor Isabelle Haddad said: “Claims weren’t fraudulent at the outset because she was entitled to them previously.”

But she still wrongly received more than £42,000 in tax credits and more than £10,460 in housing benefits during that time.

The Bolton News: The case was heard at Bolton Crown CourtThe case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

Ms Haddad told the court that this was eventually brought to an end after an investigation by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Brought before Bolton Magistrates' Court in September this year Kudryk, of Laycock Avenue, Tonge Moor, pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to disclose information to make a gain for herself.

She also pleaded guilty to a single count of dishonestly failing to notify change of circumstances affecting entitlement to social security benefit.

Kevin Lister, defending, said that Kudryk, who has no previous convictions, was entitled to credit for having pleaded guilty and that she was normally a “lady of good character with a strong work ethic".

He said: “She candidly accepts that she should have told the authorities.”

He added that she had acted “illegally and naively” but said she was not a “criminal by nature.”

Judge Abigail Hudson accepted the points that Mr Lister made about Kudryk’s character.

But she reminded the court of the large sum of money involved.

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Judge Hudson said: “This was money intended for those who needed it.”

She added: “And it is not arguable that you should have told the benefits agency and the local authority in that time.”

Judge Hudson sentenced Kudryk to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered her to complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

She also ordered her to complete a women’s problem solving course and 100 hours of unpaid work.