Prosecutor Jon Harley told the court that the man fabricated a landlord called 'Geoff Wood' to support his fraudulent application

A man from Stockton has been jailed for benefit fraud after inventing a landlord to claim housing costs he was not entitled to receive.

Neil Rayner, 49, appeared at Teesside Crown Court where he was sentenced to 38 weeks' imprisonment for the offence.

The court heard Rayner had initially denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty on the day his trial was scheduled to commence.

Judge Aisha Wadoodi ordered that Rayner, currently residing on Grange Avenue in Stockton, will be required to serve half of his sentence before becoming eligible for release.

Rayner had previously made no claims for accommodation expenses as part of his Universal Credit payments.

However, in January 2020, he informed the Department for Work and Pensions that he had relocated to a property on Welwyn Close in the Hardwick area of Stockton.

Rayner requested assistance with monthly rental payments of £400.

Prosecutor Jon Harley told the court that Rayner fabricated a landlord called "Geoff Wood" to support his fraudulent application.

Prior to this claim, there had been no housing element included in his benefit payments.

The fraud remained undetected for approximately two years because coronavirus restrictions forced DWP staff to suspend routine home visits.

When officials eventually attended the Welwyn Close property in 2022, they established that Rayner was not residing there as he had claimed.

Within 48 hours of this discovery, Rayner submitted another change-of-address notification, this time stating he had moved to Tithe Barn Lane, Mr Harley explained to the court.

Rayner had failed to attend his previous sentencing hearing and missed an appointment with the probation service, resulting in his arrest.

Rayner's barrister, Uzma Khan, urged the court to consider suspending the sentence so her client could return to his construction job, where he has worked as a dry liner since his youth.

Ms Khan said: "This offence occurred at the lowest point in his life.

She added: "He was dealing with bereavement after several family members died; and a developing dependency."

She told Rayner: "This type of fraud affects the perception of people who genuinely need the money.

"The pre-sentence report says your remorse is seen as superficial."