A photo printed in the Westmorland Gazette helped catch a benefits fraudster, the paper revealed this week.

The case came to court after investigating officers saw the picture of a “disabled” man teaching dancing at a local club.

The weekly Lake District paper tagged him “light-footed” in its court report and said the scam netted a total £7,400.

He was pictured on the Gazette’s pages in November 1998 giving a demonstration of line dancing at Age Concern in Kendal.

Dressed in cowboy hat and fancy waistcoat, he gave a nimble display of fancy footwork with his female dance partner in tow.

The 54-year-old was going round different clubs, teaching the dancing while all the time he had been claiming disability benefit.

The paper said: “Investigating officers from the Benefits Agency were first tipped off by an anonymous call back in July 1998.

“They then received a copy of the Gazette, showing the old stager in action, and the Gazette photograph helped to clinch the two-year investigation.”

The story about the picture and the tip-off, though not repeated in court, was confirmed by a Benefits Agency spokesman from the regional information office.

The 54-year-old pleaded guilty at Furness magistrates court to six charges of obtaining money by deception, and asked for another 93 offences to be taken into consideration.

Sentencing has yet to take place and he was warned that all options would be considered, including imprisonment.

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