Woman accused of £82,000 fraud

A WOMAN allegedly fraudulently claimed more than £82,000 worth of benefits.

Amanda Cowan, 41, of Loftus Road, will stand trial at Dundee Sheriff Court.

She denies a charge of fraudulently claiming £82,360.11 in working tax credit and child tax credit over a 10-year period.

Cowan allegedly committed the offence by claiming she was a single parent when in fact she was living with partner Mark Todd and therefore not incurring the childcare costs which she had told the DWP she was.

She allegedly repeatedly submitted claims and documentation which she knew was false to support her fraud.

Cowan denies knowingly undertaking in fraudulent activity between August 30 2005 and April 1 2015 at her home address, which led to her claiming £82,360.11 worth of working tax credit and child tax credit to which she was not entitled.

Trial is set to take place on July 31 with an intermediate diet to be held on July 11.

JOHN Spink, 45, of Cairnie Street, Arbroath, had sentence deferred at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Spink admitted having indecent images of children between April 6 2015 and January 3 last year, and having images involving animals between August 4 2015 and February 17 last year, both at his home address.

Sentence was deferred until May 15 for reports.