Woman made false claims for benefits

A benefit cheat has admitted claiming thousands of pounds worth of Income Support she wasn’t entitled to.

Margaret Weir appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday to answer two charges of benefit fraud.

The 48-year-old had been accused of claiming over £104,000 of Income Support and £28,572 of Housing Benefit over a 10 year period from 2005 to 2015.

However, in the dock she pleaded guilty to claiming £30,000 of Income Support and failing to notify Department of Work and Pensions officials of a change in her circumstances.

Fiscal depute Callum Forsyth told the court that Weir began making claims for Income Support in 1990 on the basis that she was a single parent.

However, it was discovered that Weir’s ex-husband had been making financial contributions to the household.

As a result of intelligence received by the DWP, an investigation began into Weir.

It was then revealed by the DWP that Weir’s ex-husband had been using the address for correspondence purposes.

Weir, of Valley View, Motherwell, was then interviewed by DWP officials. She then confessed that her ex-husband had been making payments to the household and that she had notified the DWP of this.

Weir’s solicitor Elizabeth Forrest told the court that since her admission of guilt Weir’s family had been saving cash in order to pay the money back.

She said: “Members of the family have been rallying round Mrs Weir in an attempt to raise a substantial amount of money in order to repay the cash that was claimed.”

Sheriff Thomas Millar granted Weir bail but ordered her to return to the dock at Hamilton Sheriff Court on February 7 to be sentenced.

Sheriff Millar also ordered a Restriction of Liberty Order assessment to be carried out on Weir and for criminal justice and social work reports to be prepared.