A north-east woman yesterday told a court she’d fraudulently claimed more than £17,000 in benefits because couldn’t rely on her new husband and thought it would be useful to be independently wealthy.
Jennifer Morrison lost her first husband and so became entitled to housing benefit from Aberdeen City Council and the widowed parent’s allowance from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) but was also responsible for telling them about any change in circumstances.
So when she remarried and moved in with her new husband Gary Morrison in 2015 she should have notified them.
By failing she do so, she claimed £8,040 in housing benefit and £9,860 in widowed parent’s allowance by fraud.
The 49-year-old confessed to the offences, which took place between August 2015 and April last year, during an appearance in Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
The court heard she will have to repay the money to the DWP but initially offered to do so at the paltry rate of £10 a month. That offer was rejected.
Morrison claimed she kept claiming the money because she did not think she could rely on her new husband.
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Representing her, defence agent Michael Burnett said his client was not motivated by “greed”.
He said: “It is a high value there is no getting away from that. It is either jail or unpaid work.
“It appears to have been motivated not through clear greed. It seems to be motivated by previous difficulties in her life and a desire to provide security for her children.
“She has taken full responsibility.”
Imposing a sentence Sheriff Sukhwinder Gill said: “You pleaded guilty to claiming housing benefit and widowed payment’s allowance to which you were not entitled.
“You did you because you say you could not rely on your current husband. You almost lived individually and he controls his finances. That is bizarre.
“You offered repayments at £10 per week. That would take you about 37 years.”
She ordered Morrison, of West Cairncry Road in Aberdeen, to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work within nine months.
