Social worker fraudulently claimed £35,000 in benefit payments

Fraud fine: Susan Forsyth will have to repay £20,000 of the money she claimed.© STV

A social worker who fraudulently claimed almost £35,000 in welfare payments has been ordered to pay a five-figure fine.

Susan Forsyth, 53, was convicted of benefit fraud in January after falsely claiming means-tested income support and incapacity benefit.

The East Kilbride woman admitted to defrauding £34,774.63 over a six-year period from 2004 to 2010 while she was a social care worker at Glasgow City Council.

A confiscation order for £20,000 was awarded against Forsyth at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

Lindsey Miller, head of the Serious and Organised Crime Division (SOCD) and the current POCA champion, said: "Lying about your circumstances in order to claim state benefits is tantamount to theft and stealing from the public purse should not be seen as an easy option.

"Anyone who makes money through criminal behaviour will find themselves subject to the powers of the Proceeds of Crime Act.

"Susan Forsyth will now have to pay back £20,000 - the amount available to us at this time.

"This money will be added to the £4m already re-invested in this way in the CashBack for Communities programme."

The CashBack scheme invests in a diverse range of sporting, cultural, educational, and mentoring activities for children and young people.

Forsyth was prosecuted under the Social Security Administration Act 1992, Section 111A(1A) and the confiscation order issued pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995.

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