A BBC Radio Solent presenter wept as he was told he had escaped jail despite swindling the taxpayer out of more than £20,000 in benefits.

But father-of-three Kevin Huffer has lost his job at the Southampton-based station after making the false claims for nearly three years.

Recorder Michael Bowes QC told Portsmouth Crown Court that Huffer would be better off working to support his family and paying off the debt than behind bars.

After the case a BBC spokeswoman said Huffer's contract had come to an end by mutual agreement.

The court heard that Huffer, 42, started working at the station in Havelock Road as a freelance in September 2000. He hosted a weekday drivetime slot and a show on Sunday evenings.

He carried on claiming he was out of work and signed forms entitling him to claim jobseekers' allowance, income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit.

Huffer wrote to inform the Department of Work and Pensions once he secured a full-time job at the station in March 2003, but by then an investigation was already under way after an anonymous tip-off.

Prosecutor Chris Convey said: "It's fair to say he spun a very different tune to the benefits agencies."

In mitigation, Anthony Bailey explained that Huffer had been through an acrimonious divorce and had to bring up two young children alone after his ex-wife left him with debts of £22,000.

Worry over mounting debts had seen the former nurse, who once confessed it was his ambition to host children's TV favourite Blue Peter, hospitalised for weight loss, stress and a kidney infection.

Mr Bailey said: "He found himself in an extremely desperate situation. If he paid the creditors, he couldn't pay the rent, feed or clothe the children.

"He is an extremely frightened and a very contrite man who was under immense financial pressure and had to cope with the loss of his wife and bringing up two children."

Huffer, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, has since remarried and has a third child, aged nine weeks. He met his new wife through an Internet chat room.

Sentencing him to 200 hours' community punishment, Recorder Bowes QC said: "It was a large amount of public money over a long period. There is no doubt that these offences are serious enough to qualify for a prison sentence, but I feel that the public interest is best served by you continuing to work, support your family and pay back the money."

Huffer, of Copnor, Portsmouth, is already repaying the money at £150 per month and he was ordered to pay £85 costs.