A PENSIONER fiddled nearly £5,000 in benefits, despite owning a £120,000 flat, a court heard.

John Dorling admitted unlawfully claimed housing benefits for a property in Queen Elizabeth Close in Southampton for more than a year.

Over that time, the 77-year-old was given £4,769 in housing benefits – while secretly owning a £120,000 flat in Rockstone Court, which he purchased in 2012 using his life savings.

Magistrates heard how Dorling had told Southampton City Council he had no assets above £16,000 when he applied for housing benefit in 2015.

But in 2016, when the pensioner filed for council tax-relief on the local authority-run flat, civic chiefs noticed his Rockstone Court flat.

Magistrates heard how Dorling, who worked for British Airways for more than 25 years, had twice denied owning the flat when filling out forms to the council.

Dorling was charged with dishonestly making representation to civic chiefs – rather than simply omitting the information.

Defending the pensioner, Lisa Garcia said Dorling had never lived at Rockstone Court.

She told the court that the property was “uninhabitable”, despite Dorling’s attempts to make improvements.

Garcia said that since the discovery of his dishonesty, the life-time bachelor had begun paying back the money – at £68 per month.

She added that Dorling was a man of good character, with no previous convictions.

Garcia asked magistrates not to impose a community order on Dorling as he was unable to complete any community work due to his age.

She instead called for a conditional discharge for Dorling, who has now lost his council property and is in the process of moving to Rockstone Court.

Magistrates agreed and imposed a two-year conditional discharge, warning that the pensioner must stay out of trouble or he would be resentenced for his crime.

They also ordered Dorling to pay £85 costs and a victim surcharge of £25.