A WOMAN who collected £108,000 in benefits by claiming to be a single mother on her own was in fact living with her employed partner.

Over the course of eight years, Debbie Childs, 38, of Tookley Close, Harrow, received income support, housing benefit and council tax to which she was not entitled by defrauding two London councils and a government department.

She admitted obtaining property by deception, namely income support from the Department of Work and Pensions, between November 11, 2002 and October 1, 2010 ‘by falsely representing that she wasn’t living with Tony Morton as husband and wife’.

Childs admitted attempting to obtain exemption from liability by deception because she claimed a council tax benefit from Tower Hamlets Council between April 2003 and September 2010 ‘by failing to declare she was living together with her partner Colin Morton Hills as husband and wife’.

She admitted a second count of attempting to obtain exemption from liability by deception from Brent Council between April 2003 and September 2009 with the same named partner.

Childs was jailed for eight months at Harrow Crown Court on Friday last week for each of the three charges, the sentences to run concurrently.