Guide dog trainer in £5k benefit claim fraud

A WOMAN involved in a £5,000 disability benefits scam is facing jail after she was caught working as a volunteer puppy walker for the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity.

Karen Gibson was claiming disability living allowance, intended for those who are so severely disabled that they cannot walk without guidance or supervision.

But at the same time she was helping to train young guide dogs, normally labradors, golden retrievers and German shepherds.

Gibson’s role involved caring for dogs until they were just over a year old, and teaching them basic commands, walking them and getting them used to a variety of outdoor environments.

But Gibson’s ‘disability’ should have prevented her walking any significant distance.

Prosecutors said she had failed to report improvements in her condition that had led her to claim benefits in the first place.

Gibson had initially denied the charge but admitted it yesterday. Legal action was taken after she lost a Department of Work and Pensions appeal.

Cupar Sheriff Court i n Fife heard that she falsely claimed £5,337.15 over a 13-month period.

Gibson, 49, of St Andrews, Fife, pleaded guilty to a charge under the Social Security Administration Act 1992. This stated that between August 2010 and September 2011 she failed to report an improvement in her physical condition.

The summary complaint against Gibson added that she was a puppy walker for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and did not need the care, assistance or supervision she claimed she required to ‘ perform everyday tasks’.

Sheriff Charles Macnair, QC, continued the case until next month for social work background reports.