A pensioners’ champion has criticised a 68-year-old Dundee man who claimed more than £17,000 in pension credits.
John Davie, of Kirkton Place, was jailed for four months after raking in £14 an hour working for oil giant AMEC as an offshore pipe fitter while claiming the credits.
Gordon Samson of Dundee Pensioners’ Forum said people like Davie take money out of the hands of needy and vulnerable pensioners.
”These things shouldn’t happen,” he said. ”The more people do these things the more money is taken from the pensions system and if it happens throughout the country then it’s just taking money out of the hands of vulnerable pensioners.
”Pensions could be higher for more needy senior citizens if people who don’t need it didn’t steal money from the system.
”It’s not something we would approve of but the authorities should also be looking to expose some of the bigger culprits who scam millions of pounds out of the taxpayers’ hands.”
When he appeared for sentence at Dundee Sheriff Court, Davie was told by Sheriff Elizabeth Munro he could have faced five years in prison if the offence had been prosecuted at a higher level.
Davie admitted that, between April 20 2008 and September 12 2010 he failed to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change of circumstances, which he knew affected his entitlement to pension credit, in that he started working for AMEC UK Services and obtained £17,044.99 pension credit to which he was not entitled.
The court heard previously that Davie had signed a form declaring he was unemployed and had no other income or investments in June 2003 and had repeatedly signed further forms confirming this.
In 2011, information was received that Davie had worked for AMEC since 2007.
The court was told he had taken on work ”as and when it was offered” and that this was usually two or three times a year.
In a police interview he had apologised, adding he had ”not gone out of his way to deliberately defraud the department”.
Solicitor Kevin Hampton, defending, said his client previously had a ”good character and work ethic”.
He said: ”He knows that if a custodial sentence is appropriate, he will accept it with good grace. He is a fit man, and would be fit and able for community service.”
Sheriff Munro told Davie: ”I find it very sad to see someone like you in front of me in the dock. This is dishonesty on a large scale and there is no excuse for this. A prison sentence is almost inevitable as a result.
”I have seen cases for this amount prosecuted on indictment, which attracts a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and not the one-year maximum I can impose in this case.”