Wynn was jailed at by Sheriff Cubie at Stirling Sheriff Court

Jacqueline Wynn, 64, from Kilmahog, in the Trossachs, was found guilty of defrauding Stirling Council of more than �58,000 over seven years.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard Wynn and her late husband John kept the existence of his sizeable pension a secret in order to claim the money.

Sheriff Andrew Cubie described it as a "systematic fraud" over many years.

The court was told that the couple went on expensive foreign holidays paid for out of the pension, while hiding their income from Stirling Council and pretending to be poor.

This wasn't a fraud perpetrated out of desperation, but rather to maintain the standard of living that you and your husband enjoyed Sheriff Andrew Cubie

John Wynn, a former BBC executive producer, began the scam in 1998 but died in 2006 after being diagnosed with prostate cancer and dementia.

His wife continued the deception until the inconsistency was discovered following her husband's death.

After he was buried at sea, her council tax rebate and housing benefit were reassessed and she was forced to admit the existence of the pension to a Stirling Council official.

When interviewed by officials, Wynn immediately said she would go bankrupt, denying the council the opportunity to get the money back through the civil courts.

In total Wynn obtained �58,354 between 6 June 1998 and 6 May 2005.

'Public condemnation'

Sentencing, Sheriff Andrew Cubie said: "This was a serious offence involving a systematic fraud over a number of years, where sums totalling �58,000 were defrauded from the taxpayer, while you enjoyed good holidays as a result of the generous pension your husband received.

"This wasn't a fraud perpetrated out of desperation, but rather to maintain the standard of living that you and your husband enjoyed."

The sheriff criticised Wynn's decision to go bankrupt, adding: "There is now no prospect of any of the money being recovered."