BENEFIT cheat Trevor Imhorst claimed thousands of pounds of incapacity payments while he held a string of casual jobs Swindon magistrates heard yesterday .

Imhorst, 45, of Verwood Close, was overpaid by £9,664, after claiming that he was unfit to work.

He admitted six specimen charges involving a total of £622 and asked for 59 similar offences to be taken into consideration. These related to between November 2001 and October last year.

The bench committed him to Swindon Crown Court for sentencing.

Hugh Norman, prosecuting on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, said Imhorst had claimed incapacity benefit for two years and five months while working.

During that time he was employed as a shelf stacker for Asda Walmart, earning £727 after tax every four weeks.

He had also worked as a general associate for Wise Employment between May 2000 and January 2001 at £178 a week, done temporary work for the Randstaad agency and been taken on as a Christmas postal worker in 2000.

He used an order book to make his claim and signed the declaration to say he wasn't working. He was also declared unfit by his doctor.

The department investigated him after an anonymous tip-off, said Mr Norman.

Mr Stephen Weighell, in mitigation, said Imhorst started claiming after an industrial accident in 1989 when he lost a finger ad half of another.

He also had problems with his back and a door had fallen on his arm causing pins and needles, for which he was expecting to have an operation to release a trapped nerve.

The job at Asda was the first permanent work he had been able to get since his accident.

His partner, who had a young child, was very ill and depended on him heavily, added Mr Weighell.

Imhorst was remanded on unconditional bail to the Crown Court.

Tina Clarke