A man who scrounged tens of thousands of pounds in benefits has pledged to sell his home to help repay the money.

Trevor Bayles, 42, of Silver Birch Close, Wyke, pleaded guilty to three offences of benefit fraud last month.

The self-employed driving instructor is facing jail after admitting charges totalling £40,900.

But Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday, during discussions about confiscation proceedings, that Bayles's dishonesty had totalled £80,000.

Prosecutor Diana Maudslay said Bayles had swindled £61,000 in Income Support and £19,000 in Housing Benefit and Council Tax relief.

Bayles was due to be sentenced but the court heard he was too ill to attend.

He pleaded guilty on February 8 to offences spanning five years, having failed to reveal he was working or to give full details of his savings when he claimed Income Support in February 2000.

He pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining £25,685 from the Department of State for Work and Pensions between April 6, 2000 and February 5, 2004.

And he admitted failing to cancel £15,229 in credits paid into his West Bowling bank between February 19, 2004 and March 31, 2005.

His barrister Richard Giocerano asked for sentence to be adjourned for a probation report.

He said Bayles was a man of good character who was facing the real prospect of a prison sentence.

Yesterday Mr Giocerano said that Bayles was currently bed-ridden with a long-standing back problem which was one of the issues in the case.

He said he had always attended court before but his condition had worsened. Judge Trevor Kent-Jones was shown a note from Bayles's GP.

Mr Giocerano said he had wanted the sentencing date delayed in any event because Bayles was hoping to repay the State more than £40,000 from the sale of his former family home.

The property was now sold subject to contract and he could in fairness be given an opportunity to make voluntary repayment before there was a confiscation hearing.

The judge adjourned the case until April 28 to give Bayles time to complete the sale. He ordered him to attend court next time or produce proper evidence he was too ill to be there.