A British beggar 'earned' up to 23,400 pounds (S$47,300) a year while also claiming benefits, according to news reports.

Daniel Terry, 31, said his 80 pounds-a-week state handouts were 'not enough to get by on,' Daily Mail reported.

He used a scruffy sleeping bag and a blanket to dupe passers-by into believing he was 'homeless and helpless' as he begged for cash on his patch at a revitalised city waterfront, a court heard.

But despite facing a maximum fine of 1,000 pounds after admitting an offence of begging, Terry walked free from court with a 100 pounds fine and an order to pay 40 pounds in costs and a victims surcharge - to the outrage of campaigners.

Terry was arrested last month after police in the cathedral city of Lincoln launched a crackdown on vagrancy following a survey revealed many beggars were making the equivalent of a 20,000 pounds-a-year salary when they were not even homeless. (From news reports)