"After competing I'm bedridden for a couple of days. But I wanted to push myself."

James Harris, defending, said Lloyd had not been dishonest - and had simply been able to push through the pain barrier because of his training in the army.

Mr Harris said: "He has the ability to push himself through pain. He is an ex serviceman. When climbing Mount Kilimanjaro he said he pushed himself and was in agony.

"But he did it anyway because his choices were either to sit in the house and let his mental health get the better of him or get out and get on with his life."

But District Judge Martin Brown called Lloyd's defence "nonsense" - saying he had deliberately lied to get "every penny he could".

Judge Brown said: "The very fact he lied about a number of factors shows he realised he was being dishonest. He blatantly lied about the severity of his condition.

"This is a man who believes as he is an ex paratrooper who was medically discharged from serving his country, he feels he deserves every penny he gets."

Lloyd, of Pontypridd, south Wales, was found guilty of fraud at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court.

The court heard his latest offence took place while he was serving a 20-week suspended prison sentence for common assault.