MEP jailed over benefit fraud

But 71-year-old Ashley Mote, a former Ukip representative, will retain his seat in Europe because he would only have been disqualified if he had received a term of imprisonment of more than 12 months.

The father of two, who is an MEP for south east England, was found guilty of 21 offences following a four-week trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.

During sentencing, Judge Richard Price told Mote: "To say that this case has ruined you is an understatement, it is a tragedy. You have worked amazingly hard as an MEP. Nevertheless, the charges of which you have been convicted can only be met by a custodial sentence, nothing else would be appropriate."

Anthony Donne QC, defending, said the sentence was a "massive fall from grace" for Mote, who lives with his wife in Binsted, Hampshire. He added: "He is 71. At that mature age he has lost his good name, his integrity, and the effect on him and his family will continue to be enormous. The shame is complete and the loss of his name and the shame of these convictions is a very heavy punishment."

Mr Donne said Mote had worked tirelessly for the European Parliament, travelling extensively to meet his constituents as well as attending meetings and acting as a "thorn" in the side of the European Union by "exposing corruption".

The court heard that Mote ran a successful public relations company employing 30 full-time staff until it collapsed in 1990. He then claimed housing and council tax benefits between 1991 and 1993 before finding freelance work in 1995. Mr Donne described Mote as a "Walter Mitty" character during this period as he travelled the country looking for work.

Mote began to claim benefits again from 1996 but failed to declare income from various enterprises including a cleaning company and gambling on the currency markets.

He was convicted by the jury of eight charges of false accounting, eight of obtaining a money transfer by deception, four of evading liability and one of failing to notify a change of circumstances. He was acquitted of four further charges.

The offences, totalling £65,506, occurred between February 1996 and September 2002 while Mote was living in Langley, West Sussex.