A BENEFITS fraudster from Cardenden blamed false statements he made about his mining pension on advice from a man in his local pub.

Thomas Barnes, 67, of Murray Knowe, obtained over £15,000 which he was not entitled to over five years.

He twice denied receiving a mining pension but was found guilty of benefit fraud after a trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Barnes had denied that between April 27, 2009 and December 21, 2014 he knowingly made a false statement to the Department of Work and Pensions on an application for pension credit by stating he was not in receipt of an occupational pension, when he was receiving a pension from the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, and thereby obtained £13,042 to which he was not entitled.

He also denied that between May 5, 2014 and January 4, 2015 he knowingly made a false statement to Fife Council officials on Housing Benefit and Council Tax applications and received £2420 to which he was not entitled.

Barnes told the Court he had been a miner for around 13 years before he was “pensioned out” because of chest problems in 1979.

At the start of 1980 he began receiving a mining pension, which has continued ever since.

He said that in 2009 he “didn’t have a clue” how to fill in forms for Pension Credit.

He said he was helped by a regular in the pub he drank in.

This man, who has since died, told him not to declare his mining pension saying: “That’s your money”.

However, Barnes later changed his story, admitting the form was not filled in by the man in the pub but by a DWP staff member at Cowdenbeath in his presence.

Depute fiscal, Azrah Yousaf, said: “The form was completed in the social security office, not in the pub, so that was a bit of a lie wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” replied Barnes.

“And when you filled in the Council Tax form saying you were not receiving a pension, that was also a bit of a lie, wasn’t it?” The accused again accepted this.

However, defence solicitor, Elaine Buist, said her client had been “acting in good faith” after taking advice on how to fill in the form.

Sheriff Charles MacNair told Barnes it had been a “simple and straightforward” question whether he was receiving a pension from a former employer.

He added: “It was reckless in the extreme to take the advice of a man you met in a pub rather than the staff of the Department of Work and Pensions. It may be that you thought you would get away with it.”

The Sheriff called for reports and sentence was deferred until February 20.