Amazing how this got got away with this for so long, the tax credits is a fecking shambles
A father-of-two who fraudulently claimed almost £80,000 in benefits for 36 children has been jailed.
Irvin Fraser, 30, claimed child tax credits over three years from two addresses in Aberdeen.
Fraser induced HM Revenue to make payments totalling £79,718. He was jailed for 13 months at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Alexander Jessop said it was a "whacking" amount to be paid, and expressed surprise it was not detected.
Fraser admitted making fraudulent claims from Tullos Circle and Abbey Road between November 2003, and June 2006.
Fraser explained: "I was claiming child tax credit for my son and just added another name by chance.
"They never asked for any documents. It went on for two years and I got away with it.
"I couldn't understand why they did not pick up on it. How could someone claim to have so many children but not be old enough to have them?"
He said: "I wanted to stop but it just snowballed and spiralled out of control. I withdrew my last claim but they still paid £4,000 into the bank account.
"I stupidly spent it, and that's when I got caught."
Spending spree
Fraser said he went on spending sprees buying clothes, toys and other products to "spoil his children rotten".
He said he also spent thousands of pounds on his wedding at Duthie Park's Winter Gardens in 2005.
Fraser's lawyer, Shane Campbell, told the court the case may have seen methods of keeping a check and verifying claims of this particular nature being revised.
Mr Campbell said: "But that's how easy it was for him to become involved."
Aberdeen North Labour MP Frank Doran said serious questions had to asked why such a "Guinness Book of Records" case involving claims of 36 children could be allowed to happen.
He said: "It's an extraordinary case, someone should have spotted it. There should be alarm bells ringing."
A HM Revenue and Customs spokesman said it had systems in place for checking on fraud and that the majority of claimants were honest.
He said: "We have taken in various measures to combat organised attacks on the system.
"This is one that slipped through the net, it took us a while but we got him in the end."
Not guilty pleas from co-accused Annette Fraser, 37, were accepted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7401317.stm
A father-of-two who fraudulently claimed almost £80,000 in benefits for 36 children has been jailed.
Irvin Fraser, 30, claimed child tax credits over three years from two addresses in Aberdeen.
Fraser induced HM Revenue to make payments totalling £79,718. He was jailed for 13 months at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
Sheriff Alexander Jessop said it was a "whacking" amount to be paid, and expressed surprise it was not detected.
Fraser admitted making fraudulent claims from Tullos Circle and Abbey Road between November 2003, and June 2006.
Fraser explained: "I was claiming child tax credit for my son and just added another name by chance.
"They never asked for any documents. It went on for two years and I got away with it.
"I couldn't understand why they did not pick up on it. How could someone claim to have so many children but not be old enough to have them?"
He said: "I wanted to stop but it just snowballed and spiralled out of control. I withdrew my last claim but they still paid £4,000 into the bank account.
"I stupidly spent it, and that's when I got caught."
Spending spree
Fraser said he went on spending sprees buying clothes, toys and other products to "spoil his children rotten".
He said he also spent thousands of pounds on his wedding at Duthie Park's Winter Gardens in 2005.
Fraser's lawyer, Shane Campbell, told the court the case may have seen methods of keeping a check and verifying claims of this particular nature being revised.
Mr Campbell said: "But that's how easy it was for him to become involved."
Aberdeen North Labour MP Frank Doran said serious questions had to asked why such a "Guinness Book of Records" case involving claims of 36 children could be allowed to happen.
He said: "It's an extraordinary case, someone should have spotted it. There should be alarm bells ringing."
A HM Revenue and Customs spokesman said it had systems in place for checking on fraud and that the majority of claimants were honest.
He said: "We have taken in various measures to combat organised attacks on the system.
"This is one that slipped through the net, it took us a while but we got him in the end."
Not guilty pleas from co-accused Annette Fraser, 37, were accepted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7401317.stm
