Man's £80,000 bid for 36 children

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7360887.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A father-of-two has admitted fraudulently claiming almost £80,000 in benefits for 36 children.

Irvin Fraser, 30, claimed child tax credits over three years from two addresses in Aberdeen.

He admitted making fraudulent claims from Tullos Circle and Abbey Road between November 2003, and June 2006.

Fraser induced HM Revenue to make payments totalling £79,718. Sentence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court was deferred for reports until May.

Not guilty pleas from co-accused Annette Fraser, 37, were accepted.

Fraser said: "I was claiming child tax credit for my son and just added another name by chance. His is one that slipped through the net, it took us a while but we got him in the end HM Revenue spokesman

"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?

"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."

Fraser went on spending sprees buying clothes, toys and other products to "spoil his children rotten".

He spent thousands of pounds on his wedding at Duthie Park's Winter Gardens in 2005.

A HM Revenue and Customs spokesman said they 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."