A MAN claimed housing benefit for three years without declaring the house was owned by his daughter.

Shah Nawaz claimed housing benefit between April 1997 and November 1999 but failed to alert Bury Council about change of ownership.

The house in Massey Street, Bury, had been transferred over to his daughter's name five months before the first claim was made in April 1997.

Nawaz filled in four separate housing benefit forms between April 1997 and November 1999, claiming he was paying rent to his landlord Wazir Hussein.

Nawaz, aged 48, denied four separate charges of false accounting by dishonestly falsifying housing benefit documents at Bolton Crown Court.

The court was told that, to obtain housing benefit from the council claimants, he had to fill in the claim form and then sign it as honest and accurate.

Nawaz signed four separate claim forms between 1996 and 1999, saying he was paying up to £380 a month rent to his landlord.

The prosecution alleges Nawaz knew the house was owned by his daughter but chose to lie because he didn't want the council to know.

Proceeding