A MAN who claimed more than £3,000 in Jobseeker's Allowance while he was employed has been fined in court.

Simon Bell, 40, of Smithfield Road, Darlington, claimed the benefit between February and October last year even though he was working part time at an SG Petch car dealership.

He claimed a total of £3,721 and pleaded guilty at Darlington Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday, May 14) to failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of a chance in his circumstances.

Mitigating, Nick Woodhouse said Bell had been struggling financially and had been declared bankrupt at the end of last year.

He said Bell had “naively” thought that the part-time hours he was working would not affect his Jobseeker's Allowance entitlement.

Magistrates fined him a total of £230 in court costs and fines after hearing that he had already started repaying the money to the DWP.