A MOTHER-OF-FOUR who claimed £6,000 of benefits she was not entitled to has walked free after magistrates heard how her own mother was diagnosed with kidney cancer only months after her father died.

Sarah Jane Hoehne, who had no previous convictions, failed to tell Darlington Borough Council she had gone back to work and carried on claiming housing and council tax benefits, between January 2009 and October this year, a court heard yesterday.

The 36-year-old single mother, who had legitimately claimed the benefits while she was off sick from her job at phone company Orange, now Everything Everywhere, had claimed £5,091.61 in housing benefit and £824.27 in council tax benefit she was not entitled to, the court was told.

Yvonne Wood, prosecuting for Darlington Borough Council, said an officer had visited Hoehne at home in February 2009, and explained she must notify the authority if she went back to work.

She said Hoehne had been asked to attend appointments twice at the council in January when the council had been notified her income had significantly increased, after copies of wage slips had been provided.

At the time of the offence, Hoehne’s father had been suffering from emphysema and was admitted to a hospice, where he died two days later, Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Her mother was diagnosed with kidney cancer shortly afterwards, a condition made more serious because her mother had donated her other kidney to Hoehne’s brother.

A letter from Hoehne’s mother, providing details, was given to the bench.

Graham Ablett, mitigating, said the defendant was now a carer for her mother.

He said the offence had come to light because Hoehne had notified the Department of Work and Pensions that she was back at work, but failed to tell the council.

He said the first appointment with the council had been missed because her brother had been rushed to hospital, and the second had been missed because her mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

“She knew she had done wrongly and was coming to face her punishment,” he said.

He added she was now paying back the money.

Hoehne, of Pond View, Darlington, pleaded guilty to failing to notify a change of circumstances affecting benefits.

Magistrates gave her a three-year conditional discharge and ordered her to pay £30 costs.