A Bridge of Don woman will go on trial accused of fraudulently claiming more than £40,000 in benefits.
Lorraine Mearns’ solicitor, Debbie Ginniver, pleaded not guilty in her client’s absence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
The charges faced by the 64-year-old accused date back to August 2013.
Between then and April 2018, the Crown alleges that Mearns “knowingly” made “false statements” to the Department for Work and Pensions about her income to claim £22,157.64 in employment and support allowance she was not entitled to.
She is also accused of claiming another £19,960.45 in housing and council tax benefit between November 2012 and March 2018 by doing the same to Aberdeen City Council officers.
Mearns, of Jesmond Avenue North, is accused of claiming an extra £42,118.09 in benefits overall.
Bridge of Don woman accused of over-claiming £40,000 in benefits
