Woman denies falsely claiming £60,000 in benefits

AN ELLON woman has denied duping council and government officials into paying out nearly £60,000.

Gillian Morris was accused of falsely claiming benefits from Aberdeenshire Council, the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus.

The 50-year-old allegedly made the bogus claims – totalling £57,213.58 – over an 11-year period between December 1997 and November 2008.

The charges against the Ellon woman alleged that she falsely claimed to be a single mum living in rented accommodation with no income, despite being married and owning her own home.

The charge alleged that between September 7, 2001, and September 7, 2008, she fraudulently claimed £29,111.26 in housing benefits and £5,797.80 in council tax benefits from Aberdeenshire Council. A separate charge alleged that between December 10, 1997, and July 15, 2008, she fraudulently claimed £21,932.52 in income support from the Department for Work and Pensions.

The final charge alleged Morris fraudulently claimed jobseekers allowance amounting to £363 between July 30, 2008, and September 9, 2008.

Morris, whose address was given in court papers as 2 Cookston Cottages, Ellon, denied the charges when she appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. She will appear again next month.