Golf society pitch in with Jubilee tree Douglas Fir sapling planted on North Inch course
A 50-year-old man has been ordered to return to court next month for sentencing after failing to tell government officials his partner had a job and was living with him and claiming over £3600 in income support he was not entitled to.
Paul Barty previously admitted making a false statement to the Department of Work and Pensions by claiming he was only living with his mother at 2 Clayton Road in Bridge of Earn between July 8, 2014 and 1 June, 2015 when the truth was his partner was also living with him over that time.
The single charge as set out on court papers states Barty, now of Orchard Way, Inchture, was able to claim a total sum of £3628.95 in income support over the period by failing to mention his partner was living with him and earning a wage in that time.
Barty used a walking stick to make his way into the dock at Perth Sheriff Court last Wednesday when his case was called.
Solicitor Pauline Cullerton told the court Barty had since repaid the full amount of income support he was not entitled to claim but sheriff John Rafferty said he could not consider the case closed just because he had paid the sum back.
He called for a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty assessment to be prepared on Barty and ordained him to return to court next month for sentencing.
Barty is next scheduled to appear in court on April 13.
The Royal Perth Golfing Society has commemorated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by planting a tree at the historic North Inch Golf Course.
A Douglas Fir, kindly donated by Scottish Woodland, has been selected and planted behind the second green.
Guests were welcomed to the planting ceremony by Society captain Geoffrey Thomson, with his wife and fellow member Mary invited to plant the sapling.
The Perth club dates back to 1824 and was the first in the world to gain Royal patronage in 1833.
The tree will make a splendid specimen on the golf course once it reaches maturity Syd House
Mr Thomson said members had been keen to contribute to the Jubilee celebrations and discussions had been held with Perth and Kinross Council and golf course officer Niall McGill before deciding on an appropriate location for the tree.
“Given our Royal connections and the celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee we were determined to support the ‘Queen’s Green Canopy,’” said Mr Thomson.
“The Queen has, of course, been involved in planting many trees across the world throughout her reign.
“So what better way to commemorate 2022 whilst also leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy?”
The date was selected in advance of the new golfing season and before the end of the tree planting season.
The ceremony was followed by lunch for club members and dignitaries at the nearby Royal Perth clubrooms.
Club member and former Forestry Commission Scotland chief Syd House explained that a Douglas Fir - Pseudotsuga menziesii - had been chosen to reflect local ties with Sconeborn botanical explorer David Douglas, who introduced the tree from the Pacific Northwest of North America in 1827.
He said: “There are various fine specimens of this tree – grown from David Douglas’s original seed collections for the Pacific Northwest of America in Washington State in the USA still growing in Perthshire and beyond, as a walk around the Hermitage at Dunkeld and the Pinetum at Scone Palace would quickly reveal.
“The tree will make a splendid specimen on the golf course once it reaches maturity.”