Mary Day ( pictured outside court ) fraudulently claimed £16,500 of income support and disability allowance and used the money to go on holidays . A benefits cheat who pocketed almost £17,000 of taxpayers ' money and spent it on a string of luxury holidays despite having £27,000 in the bank has avoided jail . Mary Day , 60 , of Swanage in Dorset , used taxpayers ' money to go on luxury holidays to the Indian resort of Goa for up to a month each time . Day fraudulently claimed £16,500 of income support and disability allowance despite having £27,000 of her own savings in the bank . Her savings were £11,000 above the £16,000 threshold for savings while claiming such benefits , which meant she was overpaid benefits for more than four years . Day went on three trips to tourist hotspot Goa in 2009 , 2011 and 2014 , but failed to tell the authorities . She was caught following an anonymous tip-off to benefits officers . Day has now pleaded guilty to five counts of dishonestly failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions of a change in circumstances affecting her ability to claim benefits . District Judge Stephen Nicholls sentenced her to three months in prison , but suspended the sentence for 12 months as she pleaded guilty and had repaid the money . Sentencing Day at Bournemouth Magistrates Court , he said : 'You have been credited with the guilty plea and I have taken into account that you have no previous convictions . 'Clearly this is rather a large sum of money which you have claimed . But you pleaded guilty to all matters and monies have been repaid . 'This does cross the custody threshold and I will impose a sentence of 12 weeks ' custody suspended for 12 months . ' Day was also ordered to pay £85 towards prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £80 . Tax watchdog The Taxpayers ' Alliance said Day 's sentence would do little to discourage others from committing benefit fraud . Chief executive Jonathan Isaby said : 'Benefit fraud is n't just stealing from taxpayers , but takes money away from those who really need it . Day went on trips to tourist hotspot Goa in 2009 , 2011 and 2014 , but did not tell the authorities . 'With finances so tight , we must crack down on those who seek to game the system for their own advantage and minimise the amount of taxpayers ' cash swindled by fraudsters . 'Taxpayers will wonder whether punishments like this - or the lack thereof - do enough to discourage others from attempting the same crime . ' A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said : 'Benefit payments should go to those who really need them . 'We know it 's a small minority of people who commit benefit fraud , but deliberately not informing us of a change in your condition that may affect your claim is a crime . ' Day ( pictured left with a friend ) claimed £16,500 of income support and disability allowance despite having £27,000 in savings .
Mary ##eson , 60 , claimed over £ ##500 in damages despite not being eligible . She had £ ##500 deposited in the bank which meant she was not eligible . she used taxpayers ' money to go on luxury holidays to Indian resort of Goa . Pleaded guilty to dishonestly claiming benefits and has paid back money .