A UNIVERSITY student who swindled almost £10,000 in benefits from Reading Borough Council has been given a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay it all back.

Lidie Nishimwe was studying for a degree and had applied for a student loan while all the time telling the council she had a part time job and needed housing and council tax benefits to help her get by.

The 30-year-old then failed to tell the council she had married and moved out of her home in Mason Street, west Reading, and into a marital home in Warwickshire.

The three year fraud came to light when a government database compared the two benefits application and asked Reading Borough Council to investigate.

Nishimwe was sentenced at Reading Magistrates Court on August 8 three weeks after being convicted of five counts of fraud between September 2011and September 2014. She denied all the charges.

Magistrates decided that because of the high among of loss, the planning involved and the multiple applications made in the fraud they handed down a six month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

She was also ordered to pay back the £9965 in the overpaid benefits, £2500 in costs and an£80 victim surcharge.

A spokesman for Reading Borough Council said Nishimwe, of Southlea Close, Leamington Spa, was studying for a degree over three years in Health Community and Social Care.

Advisors had even told her she would not qualify for benefit if she had applied for and student maintenance loans when she made enquiries.

He said: "In August 2011, she advised the council she would not be commencing the course because she could not afford it and her benefits were reinstated.

"In June 2012, Ms Nishimwe submitted an application for discretionary housing benefit towards her rent and council tax because of her financial circumstances, which was granted.

"She notified the council of a change of address to Mason Street, Reading, in October 2012 and continued to claim her benefits.

"In January 2014 it was established Ms Nishimwe was actually a student at the University of Winchester and had been in receipt of a student loan since 2011.

"The fraud carried out by Lidie Nishimwe was uncovered as a result of national data matching.

"Central government linked the student loan application made by Ms Nishimwe to Reading Borough Council’s housing data and referred the matter to the council.

"Our anti-fraud team investigated and discovered Ms Nishimwe had been receiving a student loan and maintenance grant as well as housing benefit and council tax benefit for a property in Reading."

Councillor Jo Lovelock, leader of Reading Borough Council, said: “We’re very pleased with the outcome of this case.

“Reading Borough Council will always take a strong stand on cases of fraud against the local authority on behalf of the vast majority of honest, hard-working tax payers.

“I’d like to congratulate the council’s anti-fraud and legal teams for their investigations and successful prosecution of this case and hope it acts as a warning to others that benefit fraud will not be tolerated.”

Anyone who suspects someone of committing fraud can report their concerns in confidence or anonymously on line at https://secureforms.reading.gov.uk/forms/ShowForm.asp?fm_fid=665 or call the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 854 440.