A Perth man and woman appeared separately at the sheriff court yesterday afternoon, accused of a combined benefits scam totalling over £52,000.
Forty-seven-year-old Leslie Bush, of Osprey Drive, is said to have obtained £30,401.95 in Disability Living Allowance (DLA), to which he wasn’t entitled, over almost six years.
He was followed into the dock by Norma Bush (66), of the same address, who denied receiving a High Rate Mobility and Care Component of the DLA amounting to £22,419.80 over three years.
Both accused were represented by local lawyer Pauline Cullerton and their cases were continued to a further hearing on June 6 to allow further negotiations to take place.
Leslie Bush is said to have received the payments between August 31, 2011, and May 16, 2017, at a property in Toll House Gardens, Crieff Road, Perth, and his current address.
He is alleged to have failed to give prompt notification to the Department of Work and Pensions Disability Carers’ Service of a change in his circumstances which he knew would affect his entitlement to the benefit.
It is claimed he failed to declare there had been an improvement in his ability to deal with his declared medical condition - and a reduction in the assistance he required from others - which resulted in him being able to carry out tasks he said he couldn’t previously do.
Norma Bush is alleged to have deceived the department in a similar way between April 16, 2014, and May 16, 2017, at the same two addresses.
