Another day and another inheritance scandal, it seems. The latest article featured in The Courier detailed how an unemployed man managed to hide thousands of pounds from the government in order to claim benefits illegally.
Stephen Campbell inherited a large sum of money from his father back in 2012 when he passed away but continued to claim various forms of benefits from the government for around two years before the fraud was finally discovered.
The article explains that the amounts he claimed included over £7,000 in unemployment benefits, over £5,000 in housing benefits and over £500 in council tax benefits.
Gabriella Notarangelo, who acted as Campbell's defence, said: "[Campbell] had received an inheritance from his father. He was unemployed and on benefits at the time and his expectation had been he would soon be in employment again. [...] However, as time went on he didn't get a job and he continued to bury his head in the sand."
Campbell's fraudulent activities were discovered in February 2014 and he pleaded guilty to two charges listed under the Social Security Administration Act. He has been charged with a community payback order and 200 hours of community service.
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael stated that the court considered the £12,500 to be "quite a serious amount of money". However, it has been reported that Campbell has since repaid the total sum of money he fraudulently claimed.