By Ryan Kisiel, July 15 2011

A judge made legal history yesterday by returning her own verdict on four benefit cheats by finding them guilty of a complex housing fraud after dismissing the jury.

The trial of the family who had built up a property empire worth £1.5million through false benefit claims was halted in March after the jury had retired to consider a verdict.

Claims were made of an illegal approach to jurors and, fearing they had been 'nobbled', the judge, Miss Recorder Caroline English, ruled that she could deliver the verdicts rather than ordering an expensive and lengthy retrial.

It is the first criminal trial to be held in England and Wales in which a judge has dismissed a jury to determine a verdict.

Appeals by defence lawyers against the decision failed and yesterday Miss English returned her verdicts at Wood Green Crown Court in North London.

Riccardo Guthrie, 33, his sisters Bianca, 37, and Cosima, 25, and accomplice Courtney Campbell, 48, jointly swindled taxpayers out of more than £110,000 to fund a property portfolio of three houses and two flats across North London.

Riccardo was jailed for three years, Bianca for two years, Cosima for 18 months.

Campbell received a 12 month suspended sentence and 160 hours of unpaid community work.