Benefits cheat used £5,000 of council cash so he could employ friend as personal cleaner

A budget was agreed for funding and Brannan agreed to pay Wallace £200 a month.

However, when she regularly received extra payments as a registered care assistant, Brannan instructed her to send him the extra cash.

Brannan was arrested following a HMRC investigation into Wallace's income and benefits.

Brannan, of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted obtaining £4,800 by fraud between June 2017 and September 2019.

Depute fiscal John Coogan told the court Brannan, who is registered as disabled, orchestrated the scam after recruiting Wallace.

Sheriff John Speir ordered him to pay compensation of £4,800 and fined him £1,200. He was also ordered to pay a £75 victim surcharge.

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Coogan told the court: "It was suggested she work eight hours per week for payment of £50 or £200 every four weeks which she initially didn't take up but then agreed to it.

"At that stage, she believed that having the title of cleaner meant the wages she was receiving were from the accused's trust fund. However, the truth was she was employed as a personal care assistant with that being funded by North Lanarkshire Council.

"Every four weeks thereafter she would receive wages for her role as cleaner to her own bank account. However, on a number of occasions was overpaid and each time there was an overpayment she would make contact with the accused.

"The accused would indicate that this was an administrative error by the trust company and would request her to take her £200 wage and that the surplus balance be transferred back directly to him and this continued throughout the period libelled."

Mitigating, Ian Scott, said: "He has health conditions and could pay compensation."

Sheriff John Speir allowed Brannan to pay the order at £200 a month.