A BENEFITS scrounger who used taxpayers' money to fund her lavish lifestyle has been ordered to pick up the large legal bill for her court case.

Widow Lyndsay Stewart, who has already been stripped of £335,000 of her assets, will have to fund her £19,322 court costs.

During her trial at Bournemouth Crown Court jurors heard how the 62-year-old had sailed around the Mediterranean in her yacht Stealaway LAS, owned two homes in Poole worth an estimated £900,000 and had £240,000 stowed away in bank accounts when she made bogus claims for income support and council tax.

Stewart, of Hurst Hill, Lilliput, was jailed for 15 months after being found guilty of 10 charges of obtaining property by deception between March 1997 and December 2002.

She was also convicted of three counts of making false representation to claim benefits between May 2000 and June 2002. It later emerged that Stewart also owned a cottage in Staffordshire.

Applying for a recovery of defence costs order, prosecutor Louis Weston said: "The cost to the state of funding this dishonest defendant's legal aid is £19,322.

"After paying confiscation and compensation orders she is still left with at least £255,000.

"This is an exceptional case. This defendant claimed benefit while owning three properties, concealing ownership in the Staffordshire property until the eleventh hour. She has zero income but has been able to enjoy rental from one of her properties."

Defending, Christopher Gair asked Judge John Beashel to consider adjourning the case until it could be assessed how much the Staffordshire property was worth.

But Judge Beashel said: "There has to be closure to this case. It has gone on for months and months. I am satisfied that it is proper to make a recovery of defence costs order.

"Much of this expenditure could have been avoided had the defendant admitted her wrongdoing.

"There was a late jury trial and contested confiscation and compensation applications.

"I don't see why the public should have to pay this lady's representation, especially when she has the resources to pay."