Judge’s girl ‘spares’ Rastamouse writer

THE creator of the hit children’s television show Rastamouse has avoided jail over benefit fraud after the judge said his young daughter had told him not to put the writer behind bars.

Michael de Souza, 64, wrote a series of books about a Rastafarian rodent who solved mysteries in Mouseland with Da Easy Crew, his reggae band.

Last year, de Souza wrongly claimed more than £8,000 in Jobseeker’s Allowance and housing benefit while failing to declare his income from writing.

Judge Christopher Hehir, at Southwark Crown Court, sentenced him to 160 hours of community service, saying: “Not even Da Easy Crew can get him out of this one.

“I’ve got young children and I used to be a fan of Rastamouse. I did tell my eightyear-old daughter, who was a big fan when she was younger, that Mr de Souza was appearing before me, and she wasn’t keen on a custodial sentence,” he said.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I don’t usually run sentences past my young children,” the judge added.

De Souza had denied two counts of dishonestly failing to notify a change of circumstances, but pleaded guilty before sentencing.

Prior to turning his hand to writing, he was a swimming instructor at Kensington Sports Centre, west London, where he taught the children of celebrities such as Stella Mccartney and Sir Richard Branson.

De Souza published his first book, Rastamouse and the Crucial Plan, in 2004 with illustrator and cowriter, Genevieve Webster. Rastamouse ran for three series on Cbeebies television from 2011 to 2015.

The court heard De Souza sold the rights to the character and fell into debt after a series of failed business ventures. Dickon Edwards, defending, said: “He didn’t grasp the nettle and turn his mind to his requirements to notify parties as to his change of circumstances. He expressed remorse for that.”