A Suffolk woman accused of dishonestly claiming benefits while living with her partner has been cleared by a jury.

Giving evidence during her trial at Ipswich Crown Court Fiona McIntosh said her partner would stay with her a few days some weeks and then not at all other weeks.

She denied dishonestly claiming benefits and broke down in tears when she told the court she had always tried to do the right thing.

“I didn’t think there was anything wrong with him staying a few nights if he wasn’t living there,” she said.

McIntosh, 42, of Lime Tree Avenue, Leiston, denied three offences of fraud between August 2011and November 2012 and three similar offences between February 2014 and December 2015. She was cleared of all six offences.

It was alleged she dishonestly received income support, tax credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit while she was living with her partner, who was in employment, as husband and wife.

Charles Digby, prosecuting, said benefits were means-tested and relied on the authorities knowing a household’s income.