A benefit cheat narrowly avoided a prison sentence after fraudulently claiming more than £20,000.

David Knight, 52, of Ticknell Piece Road, Charlbury, admitted three charges of failing to promptly notify relevant changes in his circumstances in order to obtain benefits. Knight, who is unemployed, falsely claimed housing and council tax benefit and also Income Support, totalling £20,275.40, while his wife was working.

At Banbury Magistrates' Court, he was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and a four-month tagging curfew order, with immediate effect, requiring him to stay at home between 8pm and 8am daily.

The prosecution was brought by West Oxfordshire District Council, which will now seek to recover the full amount of housing and council tax benefit Knight fraudulently claimed.

The Department for Work and Pensions will try to recoup the Income Support.

The leader of the council's undercover benefit fraud investigation team, who cannot be named, said: "He got greedy. It's an unusually large amount of money and this had been going on for a three-year period. A jail sentence would have served as a better deterrent."

In the past 12 months, the team has uncovered almost £400,000 of fraud and seen 55 people punished. The team's hotline is 01993 861234.