A DEVOTED son illegally claimed £31,000 in benefits while working for the Department of Work and Pensions, a court heard yesterday.

Anthony Johnson, 52, falsely claimed the money in full-time carer's allowance but failed to tell the department he was also working for the DWP itself.

His scam went on for eight years, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Johnson used most of the money to help care for his 89-year-old mother, Mary, who he has lived with for his entire life.

Johnson, 52, of Callaly Avenue in Cramlington, Northumberland, admitted at a previous hearing at magistrates court to four counts of obtaining benefits by deception and asked for a further 472 to be taken into consideration.

Magistrates sent the case to Crown Court for sentencing as they believed the had insufficient powers to punish him, but Judge John Evans yesterday gave Johnson six months to arrange repayment of the money.

Judge Evans accepted that he had used most of the money to care for his 89-year-old mother Mary.

As the full-time carer of his infirm mother, Johnson started to claim benefits legally in January 1995.

But in April 1997 he began to work as an assistant chef while still claiming the full-time carers allowance.

Over the next seven years he worked in a string of jobs while still receiving the hand-outs.

He worked at Age Concern, at the Royal Masonic Benevolent Fund and the Tyneside Auto Parc in Gosforth, Newcastle.

Newcastle Crown Court also heard that between January and March 2005, he was even employed by the DWP.

After being caught in September 2005, he initially said he thought his wages - which reached a maximum £12,000 a year, were too meagre to inform the department about.

But he later admitted to dishonestly claiming a total of £31,351.

Michael Hill, defending, told the court the driving factor behind the fraud had been to care for his mother.

He said: "Mr Johnson has always lived with his mother. He has had to care for her for 16 years.

"This offence for dishonesty has its basis principally in providing for his elderly mother. He is the only person who looks after her."

Mr Hill told the court nearly £9,000 of the money had been spent buying equipment for the house, including a chair lift, an electronically adjustable bed and an alarm system in case she fell.

But he said Johnson, who had debts totalling more than £40,000 knew he had now put her future in jeopardy."

Judge Evans told Johnson his crimes warranted a prison sentence, but that he had chosen to give him six months to arrange to paying back the money, rather than leaving his mother to go into care.

He said: "You could not complain if you went to custody.

"But I recognise if I did send you to custody for the short term, the result would be your mother would have to be housed with the local authority at taxpayers' cost and the effect this would have on her would be significant."