Mum is £9,000 benefit cheat

AN UNEMPLOYED mum pocketed nearly £9,000 in benefits she was not entitled to – and could take 15 years to pay the cash back, an Aberdeen court heard.

Maureen Marnoch, 40, swindled £8,800 income support over a two-year period when she falsely claimed she was living alone in Fraserburgh.

She previously admitted the offence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, but six months later Marnoch is still unemployed and currently paying back less than £6 a week to the Department for Work and Pensions.

The court heard the repayment scheme would take Marnoch nearly 15 years to complete and sentence was deferred on Marnoch for another six months to enable her to look for work and pay back as much cash as possible.

shind@ajl.co.uk