A pensioner has been warned he faces jail for swindling nearly £75,000 in benefits.
For six years George Young lied to the authorities claiming he wasn’t earning enough cash to allow him to support himself.
But the 68-year-old was actually working as a painter and decorator whilst receiving thousands of pounds worth of pension credits, housing tax benefits and council tax benefits.
Young appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted fraudulently obtaining the cash – totalling £73,090.05 – between April 2008 and April 2014.
Fiscal depute Alan Townsend said Young had initially applied for benefits while he was working for Aberdeenshire Decorating Services as he was not getting paid.
However, once the firm start paying him he did not declare it to the authorities.
Mr Townsend said: “The incident itself came to light when the accused applied for benefits whilst in employment. There was a change in circumstances and he failed to inform the authorities of such.
“He was employed with Aberdeenshire Decorating Services as a painter and decorator between 2004 and 2010, but continued to receive money into his account.”
Representing Young, solicitor John Hardie said his client had started to work for the firm to “help someone out” and was not initially being paid.
However, as time went on Young started to receive wages and failed to tell the authorities about the change in circumstances.
In total Young, of Northbank Farmhouse, Westhill, pocketed £52,359.14 in pension credit from the Department of Work and Pensions (DoWP) he was not entitled to.
He also fraudulently took £16,212.84 in housing tax benefits and £4,518.07 in council tax benefits from Aberdeenshire Council.
Sheriff Graeme Napier deferred sentence on the pensioner for background reports to be carried out and for a restriction of liberty order assessment.
However, he warned him that the most likely outcome was jail.
He said: “I am sure that your agent will have explained quite how serious this offence is. In total you obtained almost £75,000 in benefits you would not have been entitled to.
High Court guidelines stating how a case such as this should be dealt with makes it almost inevitable that a custodial sentence will be imposed.”
He will return to court next month to be sentenced.
