A mother narrowly escaped a prison sentence after defrauding Perth and Kinross Council of more than £20,000 to help get her daughter out of debt.
Lena MacKintosh falsely claimed housing and council tax benefit for almost five years, despite living in a property owned by her ex-husband.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the 50-year-old wove a “calculated, convoluted and complex web of deceit” after receiving final demands for loans taken out by her daughter.
When confronted by council officials, MacKintosh even went as far as producing a fake rental agreement from her landlord, who she claimed lived in New York.
Finally, on May 17 last year, the accused admitted she did not pay any rent on the property at Sandport Gait in Kinross. By that time, she had claimed a total of £22,618.28.
Solicitor Linda Clark told the court her client had repaid the amount in full and was still paying off the surcharge of about £3,000.
MacKintosh admitted that between June 29 2007 and March 11 2012 she falsely claimed housing and council tax benefit to which she was not entitled.
Sheriff Robert McCreadie ordered her to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work.
He said: “Had there been no repayment for effectively the full amount, custody would have been the only proper disposal.”