A greedy mum who was jailed for fraudulently claiming more than £50,000 in benefits has “nothing left” to pay back the state.
Sandra Innes was locked up for 16 months after she was caught taking thousands of pounds from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Aberdeen City Council.
At the time of the fraud, she was secretly sitting on an inheritance pot of more than £250,000.
Over five years the 56-year-old splurged the cash on a new house and lavish lifestyle – while at the same time continuing to claim benefits she was not entitled to.
In total, she swindled taxpayers out of £50,315.01 before she was caught.
Last month, Innes was jailed after Sheriff William Summers ruled she had been motivated purely by greed.
He set a hearing for yesterday to allow the Crown to determine how to recover some of the cash.
But yesterday the court heard from her solicitor, David Sutherland, who said she had “nothing left” for the state to recover.
The court previously heard that the mum signed over her £110,000 home to her son when her crimes were discovered.
Another hearing will now take place next month to determine how much, if anything, can be clawed from Innes.
She had initially denied the fraud allegations and went on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
But when giving evidence on her own behalf, she crumbled in front of a jury and admitted she was guilty.
Between October 8, 2008, and January 16, 2013, she fraudulently claimed £21,633.15 in income support.
She also failed to notify officials at Aberdeen City Council about the capital she had in her bank and claimed housing and council tax benefits of £25,822.26.
Innes claimed a further £2,859.60 of employment support allowance fraudulently between January 17 and October 23, 2013.
