A self-styled 'spiritual guru' from Southall has had assets worth £110,000 confiscated after being found guilty of benefit fraud.

Parmjit Singh, of Wentworth Road, was found guilty of tricking cash out of Hounslow Council.

In March 2008 he was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court to two years in prison.

Now the officials have used powers in the Criminal Justice Act and Proceeds of Crime Act to identify and confiscate assets he gained through his fraudulent activity.

Singh told private followers he believed in the healing powers of alter-native medicine, but the 'priest' used some of the £40,000 he stole from false benefit claims to fund a private healthcare scheme.

Hounslow's finance leader, Councillor Gerald McGregor, said: "People who commit fraud against public bodies are stealing money from people who genuinely need it - never more so than in these stormy economic times.

"Singh may have believed that once his sentence was served, he would be free to return to the lifestyle he enjoyed, reaping the benefits of his crimes. I'm delighted to say that he won't."

The 42-year-old claimed housing benefit from November 1995 to November 2004 and supplied documents to the council allegedly signed by a landlord.

The letter said he would be paying £670 rent per month. Since his family had a low income, housing benefit was paid to help him with their housing costs. investigators discovered that his landlord was a member of Singh's own family, which had not been declared on his claim form, making the illegal.

While Singh was claiming benefit, he provided letters and other documents allegedly from his landlord backing up his right to continue claiming, but in court during his trial in February 2008, two different landlords denied completing or signing any paperwork.

The fraudster also told landlord he spent nearly £100,000 improving his home - improvements had been funded from the contributions of his followers.

However, this was during the period when he was claiming benefits, and it's suspected the illegal payments were used to fund the work.

Some of the £40,000 was used to fund healthcare and gym membership.

He was prosecuted for falsely claiming £46,002 in housing benefit and found guilty by the jury on all 18 counts of fraud at his trial in February 2008.

Hounslow Council was awarded £62,012.56 compensation and Singh has until September 16, 2009, to pay the £110,000, or face a further two years in prison.