The Courts

Press, 26 February 1981, Page 11

The Courts

Beneficiary jailed for welfare frauds

A sickness beneficiary, who fraudul' y obtained almost $17,000 in benefits from the Department of Social Welfare over a period of two years, was sent to prison for 21 months by Judge Pain in the District Court yesterday. What he had perpetrated was ’ a gross example of criminal dishonesty,” the Judge told Kerry Malcolm Grassam, aged 35. It was clear that the incidence of social welfare frauds was on the increase with a greater number of

such offences coming before the courts, said the Judge. He said that Grassam’s was an extreme example of the gravest type of such offending. The magnitude of the offending called for a substantial prison sentence, said the Judge. Counsel (Mr M. J. Glue) described his client as “an incredible muddler, whose financial affairs are in a chaotic state.” Although Grassam was reconciled to a custodial sentence, Mr Glue sought leniency’ for him. I

Grassam had earlier pleaded guilty, and been convicted of, fraudently obtaining $15,398 in unemployment benefits by the use of two other names, and of fraudulently obtaining unemployment beiefits amounting to $1569 while carrying out periods of Work as a barman and a driver-storeman.-At the time Grassam had told the police that he got the idea of how to commit w-elfare frauds after reading an article on the subject in “Truth.” ,