But the 31-year-old was actually a fraudster, living the high life on the back of benefit fraud.

And he was following in his father's footsteps.

Earlier this week, Barry Marsh was sentenced for swindling £30,000 in incapacity and council tax benefits.

Now the pair, from Cosham, face the prospect of paying back the cash.

Marsh junior appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court yesterday after admitting six offences of benefit fraud worth £12,600.

He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after claiming job seekers' allowance while running a business selling satellite navigation systems and iPods through internet auction site eBay.

His dad Barry, 54, appeared at the same court three days earlier when he was ordered to pay £75,000 within six months or face a two-year prison sentence.

Staff at Cosham JobCentre believed Marsh Senior was unable to work because of a bad back.

So they were surprised to discover he had been making a living as a builder and sunning himself with annual holidays in Turkey while falsely claiming £30,000 in incapacity and council tax benefits.

The Department of Work and Pensions launched a probe and discovered both father and son had undeclared money stashed away in secret bank accounts.

When police raided Barry Marsh's home in Colwell Road, Cosham, they discovered thousands of pounds in cash.

When they arrested Marsh junior at a property in Gurnard Road, Cosham, they found pictures of him on holiday and a photo of his dog with a £50 note in his mouth.

Government benefit fraud investigator Steve Cox said: 'It was just a smokescreen, giving the impression of someone who was very hard up when clearly he wasn't.

'He was living the high life while a lot of people who aren't on benefits don't enjoy that kind of lifestyle.'

Marsh Senior now faces the prospect of losing his house to repay his debt. Robert must wait until May to find out how much he has to pay back.

mary.griffin @thenews.co.uk