A man was jailed for six months by Brighton magistrates for claiming benefits while he was working - or working when he should have been claiming benefits. It isn't absolutely clear which.
Joseph Egg 47, of Rottingtooth Drive in the city was convicted of writing material for a satirical website whilst claiming unemployment and housing benefits.
Solicitor, Mr Reginald Menthol, representing Egg, told the court that his client admitted to writing the material whilst claiming benefits, but in mitigation pleaded that his client had only successfully submitted one single 127 word article in the five years since he had registered with the site, and that he had received no payment for his contribution.
Rejecting Mr Menthol's plea for clemency on behalf of his client, Magistrate Dora Bryan told Egg:
"Whilst it may be true that you only submitted one brief article for publication by this site, the court has examined the 12,000 pages of editorial guidance you submitted to the Site Administrator and ascertained that you spent a considerable amount of time on such a slim piece of work, which is tantamount to abusing the welfare system. You now have a further six months to dot your i's and cross your t's. Take him down."
More as we get it.
