A psychiatrist faces prison for claiming thousands of pounds in benefits while working.

Chris Kamugisha, of Lambourne Avenue, Stone Cross, near Eastbourne, admitted he had two jobs while claiming income support and council tax relief totalling £16,723 between October 2000 and April 2003 .

Yesterday Eastbourne magistrates heard Kamugisha, 51, had queued up at a post office every fortnight to collect his benefit.

At the time he was employed as a psychiatrist for the Richmond Medical Agency, based in Middlesex, and as a doctor for the South Downs Health NHS Trust, working in Brighton and Hove.

The court heard he had paid back £690 of the £15,124 claimed in income support and £1,583 of the £1,599 owed in council tax benefit.

Frank Winslett, defending, said Kamugisha, a widower, had two children to support and had not used any of the money for luxuries.

He said: "Initially the claim was genuine but after a very short period it wasn't."

Magistrates decided sentencing should take place in the crown court. They ordered a pre-sentence report on Kamugisha's personal circumstances.

He was freed on unconditional bail and a date will be set for his appearance at Lewes Crown Court.

Kamugisha claimed council tax benefit from Eastbourne Borough Council.

A council spokesman said: "This prosecution has been brought following a joint investigation by the Eastbourne Borough Council fraud team and the Department for Work and Pensions.

"We will await the outcome of sentencing at crown court before making any further comment."

Kamugisha admitted four counts of making a false representation to dishonestly obtain benefit.

If he is given a prison sentence he also faces the possibility of being struck off by the General Medical Council (GMC).

A prison sentence of six months or more means his case will automatically be referred to the GMC's professional conduct committee for a public hearing.

He could then have his professional registration erased or have conditions attached to his continued practice.

A sentence of less than six months means the case would go through the GMC's normal complaints procedure and then to the preliminary proceedings committee for review.

A spokeswoman for the GMC said: "It doesn't have to be a medical complaint. We are notified of all convictions except minor traffic ones. It becomes an issue of trust between patients and their doctor."

Kamugisha registered with the GMC in June 1991.

He qualified as a doctor in 1975.