A judge has asked for psychiatric reports on benefit cheat Lascall Allison after hearing he claimed more than £18,000 he was not entitled to.

The 42-year-old Melksham man pocketed incapacity benefit for more than five years even though he was working for most of that time.

Allison thought that as he was suffering from depression he was entitled to the money even though he was earning a wage.

But before deciding whether he should face a jail term Judge Tom Longbotham said the court needs to know more about his mental health.

He said that Allison had a long history of depression, which in the past had been treated by electroconvulsive therapy, and was being monitored by a doctor and psychiatrist.

However, he said there was still a chance of a prison term after he admitted two counts of making a false statement to obtain benefit and with 265 similar matters to be taken into consideration.

Allison, who is still on incapacity benefit, first signed on for the payments in the autumn of 1996 when he was working for Dyson. He pleaded guilty to the offences which date from November 1996 to December 2001

Adjourning for the psychiatric report Judge Longbotham said "This is a serious matter £18,000 puts it in to a serious bracket."

At an earlier hearing Peter Codner, defending, said "The charges are samples for when he went to the post office and signed a form to get incapacity benefit of about £60 a week

"On that form it says I am entitled to benefit and I have told the relative department of anything that may change my benefit.

"Mr Allison says 'I honestly didn't think I was doing anything wrong'. He suffers from depression and is still, ironically, getting the same benefit as a result.

"He says 'I thought I was getting the money because I was depressed'. He says that he did not read the forms before he signed them. 'I wasn't acting dishonestly,' he says.

"I honestly thought I was getting the money because I was suffering from the illness and that is why I was paid it."

Mr Codner said that while his client accepted he had signed the forms saying he was not in work he did not read them and honestly didn't realise he was doing anything wrong.

"The global belief was 'I thought I was entitled to the money' may be incompatible with the signing of the forms," he said.

Allison, of Littlejohn Avenue, Melksham, pleaded guilty to the offences which date from November 1996 to December 2001.

Adjourning for the psychiatric report Judge Longbotham said "This is a serious matter. £18,000 puts it in to a serious bracket.

"Having read the pre-sentence report and read a lot about your earlier medical difficulties it is not right the court should sentence you without a report from your treating psychiatrist. However all sentencing options are still open."