Benefits fraudster jailed for stealing £80,000

A convicted fraudster who was given a character reference by the deputy first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has been jailed for two years after admitting stealing £80,000 in benefits. Sturgeon apologised to the Scottish parliament after she urged a court to consider giving a non-custodial sentence to Abdul Rauf, an elderly constituent who was being prosecuted for fraudulently claiming £80,000 in income support. Rauf was jailed today for two years at Glasgow sheriff court after he pleaded guilty, having failed to declare a rental property in Edinburgh when he claimed the benefit. Rauf was imprisoned for four years in 1996 after stealing £60,000 in pensions and benefit cheques when he ran a sub-post office. Sturgeon, the deputy leader of the Scottish National party and a former solicitor, had to fend off demands for her resignation when it emerged in February that she had described Rauf's previous frauds and the latest case as "mistakes" in a letter to Sheriff Alan Mackenzie, who was hearing Rauf's case. She admitted to members of the Scottish parliament that she was wrong to do so. "In short, I assisted a constituent in good faith and for what I considered to be the right reasons, but in doing so I did get some things wrong and for that I am sorry." "With hindsight I think I allowed myself to be too influenced by the likely impact of Mr Rauf's actions on his family and that led me to write a letter that was not as carefully worded as it should have been." The sheriff appeared to refer to Sturgeon's lobbying when he lowered Rauf's sentence by 12 months. He said Rauf's crime and previous offence must lead to a prison sentence, but added: "I take account of all that has been said on your behalf. In particular, I recognise that you tendered a plea of guilty at the earliest opportunity, that you have repaid a significant portion of the sum you obtained by fraud, that given your assets there is every prospect of full recovery and that you are clearly in failing health, having suffered two heart attacks in recent years."