A benefit fraudster who failed to declare a property sale has been put on probation for 18 months.

Victoria Raby, 39, was overpaid £27,698 in benefits she wasn’t entitled to as a result of the offences.

The court heard that she is already paying back the overpayment at a rate of £30 per week.

We previously reported that information was received that Raby had received a large sum of money from the sale of a property, and was living with her partner, both of which hadn’t been declared in her benefits claim.

Bank statements were obtained which showed she had received an amount of £48,873 in April 2023.

Surveillance was undertaken at her partner’s property between April and May in 2024, and Raby was seen coming out of the property.

She was interviewed and acknowledged that she understood that she would have to declare selling any property.

She admitted receiving money from the sale but said she couldn’t remember how much, and that it had been spent on her children.

Raby, who lives at Hutchinson Square, initially said she’d been living with her mother when quizzed about where she lived.

However, when told about the surveillance, she admitted the offence, saying it was more due to circumstances, and childcare.

In court, she pleaded guilty to four counts of making a false representation to obtain a benefit.

Defence advocate Helen Lobb said that, at the time of the offences, Raby was in financial difficulty.

Ms Lobb said the house had been sold at auction, as a result of defaulting on mortgage payments.

The advocate said that Raby had significant loans from friends and family that had to be repaid.

Ms Lobb said that the benefits claim had not been fraudulent from the outset, and that there had been no lavish lifestyle.