Affair claim in divorce papers at Inverness councillor's fraud trial
Highland Council fraud investigator Veronica Bachelor.
A SENIOR fraud investigator with Highland Council produced divorce documents in court today addressed to a woman at an Inverness councillor’s home which included claims he had an affair with her.
Veronica Bachelor (61), manager of the Benefit Fraud team at Highland Council, also produced application forms claiming Council Tax benefit from John Holden between January 1999 and August 2008 in which he stated he was the sole occupant of the house, was unemployed, and declared that he had no savings or capital.
Miss Bachelor said in her evidence Holden’s application over the period to which the charges refer stated he lived alone.
She was giving evidence on the first day of the trial at Inverness Sheriff Court of Holden (62), of Teal Avenue, who is a representative for the Inverness South ward on Highland Council.
He pled not guilty to a series of fraud charges.
He is charged with falsely claiming income support between January 1999 and August 2008 in excess of £34,000 and council tax benefit of £6,925.24 and single occupancy of more than £2,309.73 by claiming he lived alone, had no capital and was not in employment between January 6, 1999 and August 31, 2008.
An alternative to the council tax fraud charge is that he knowingly failed to notify Highland Council of his change of circumstances, that he lived with his wife, had capital and was in employment, and that his wife had capital and was in employment.
He faces a further charge of failing to give prompt notification to the Benefits Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions of his change of circumstances, which he knew would affect his entitlement to income support.
He is charged with failing to notify them that he no longer lived alone and that he had capital and was in employment and that his wife had capital and was in employment, thereby obtaining income support in excess of £34,337.48 to which he was not entitled.
Miss Bachelor was asked about one Crown production which she said was recovered from a drawer in a computer desk in a raid by fraud investigators on Holden’s house.
She went with officers to Burnett Road police station to investigate documents recovered and came across a recorded delivery letter to Mary Elizabeth Ewan or Ross, 8 Teal Avenue.
"It was franked in Dumfries on the 22nd October 1997," said Miss Bachelor
"It’s an initial writ in a divorce between David Alexander Ross and Mary Elizabeth Ewan or Ross. it was sent to her at 8 Teal Avenue."
Miss Bachelor said the writ stated that the marriage had broken down as a result of her adultery with John Holden.
Further documents revealed in the year 2000 she received a divorce settlement of £56,018.
Applications by Mary Ross to open a Fraser store club card account was also addressed to her at 8 Teal Avenue in July 1998 and the phone number she gave was Holden’s.
On December 6, 1998, in an application to open an Etam account she claimed she had been living at that address for 10 years, Miss Bachelor said.
The fraud chief also produced documentation to show following the death of a lady in Esk Road in December 2007 the council wrote to ask if the householder wanted exemption from council tax.
"The letter was returned stating the name of the solicitor or person dealing with the estate was Mrs Mary Elizabeth Holden of 8 Teal Avenue."
She said the form was a single person occupancy application and appeared to have been filled out by Mrs Mary Holden on behalf of her father George Ewan.
In the form she stated Mr Ewan had moved permanently to stay with them from December 1997.
The case before Sheriff Ian Abercrombie will continue on Thursday, June 2.
