A 29-year-old man in jail for defrauding the benefits system has been ordered to give up some of the cash.

Christopher Bhebhe, of Pier Road, Erith, adopted three different identities while carrying out his frauds, which have been estimated as totalling more than £221,000.

He was given a five-year jail sentence this year and has now been served with a confiscation order by Woolwich Crown Court.

The order says he must pay back £155,000 by January 1 or face a further two years on his prison sentence.

Bhebhe used two other names — Christopher Noble and Adekunle Azeez Oloyede.

The illegal immigrant was also a postman and a security officer.

Bhebhe was arrested in November 2006 after trying to open a Britannia Building Society account using a false passport.

He was charged under the Identity Cards Act and sentenced to nine months in jail in January last year.

Following his arrest, police searched his Erith home and discovered documents including passport photographs and page inserts, as well as bank statements in other names.

Officers also found connecting identity documents such as driving licences, doctors’ stamps and utility bills.

There was also a large amount of cash and diaries containing names, addresses, dates of birth, national insurance numbers and bank details.

Police also discovered a large number of blank working tax credit application packs.

Officers say it appeared from the documents Bhebhe had been opening bank accounts with supporting identity documents.

He then used them to accept stolen funds or allowed money to pass through them and transferred the cash to other accounts.

Eventually it was discovered some of the money was used by Bhebhe to buy expensive vehicles which were then shipped to Nigeria.

Bexley police’s financial unit, the department of Work and Pensions and her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs launched a joint investigation.

At Woolwich Crown Court in February, Bhebhe was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to defraud by making false applications for tax credit and making false applications for maternity grants and pension credit.

When Bhebhe finishes his jail sentence, he will be deported.