A Fife woman who was still claiming disability allowance for her son more than five years after he had moved out of her house has avoided a jail term for a £26,000 benefit fraud.
Former nurse Dawn Fraser told her son to move out in 2007 but was still receiving Disability Living Allowance for him in 2013.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard Fraser would have been facing a 15-month jail term but for concerns over the welfare of another child in her care.
Fraser, 50, of Pitcorthie Drive, previously admitted that between November 10 2007 and June 11 2013 at Maclean Gate she failed to give prompt notification of a change in circumstances to the Department for Work and Pensions over Disability Living Allowance for her son, who had stopped living with her, and received £26,000 to which she was not entitled.
The court heard Fraser has only paid back £400.
Sheriff Charles MacNair deferred sentence last July.
This week defence solicitor Roshni Joshi said arrangements had been made for the care of the child but there was “still a level of concern”.
Ms Joshi said there had been problems which led to “the decision to have her son ejected from the property spurred on by her partner of the time”.
The solicitor said it was thought initially it would be a short-term situation and her client had described it as a “scare tactic”.
She said Fraser previously worked as a nurse but recently had health problems and had been taking opium-based medication.
Ms Joshi said her client had hoped to go back to nursing but “now appreciates this is wholly unlikely”.
Sheriff MacNair said: “This was a serious offence over a period of about six years where you were obtaining benefit for your son while he was not living with you.
“He was living with someone else and so not only were you defrauding the department but also your son was not getting the benefits to which he was entitled.”
He imposed a community payback order with 300 hours of unpaid work and a restriction of liberty order for 12 months.