A painter and decorator claimed £73,000 in benefits he was not entitled to.

George Young, of Westhill, Aberdeenshire, fraudulently received pension credits, housing and council tax benefits over a six-year period.

He had been earning money working but failed to inform the authorities of his income.

The 68-year-old admitted failing to notify the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of his change in circumstances when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month.

On Monday, he was jailed for one year and two months for the fraud.

Previously, fiscal depute Alan Townsend told the court Young had at first applied for benefits while he was working for Aberdeenshire Decorating Services.

He said the pensioner initially started working at the firm for free so did not need to declare that to the authorities.

Young soon started to be paid but he neglected to let the authorities know his circumstances had changed.

Mr Townsend said: "The incident itself came to light when the accused applied for benefits while in employment.

"There was a change in circumstances and he failed to inform the authorities of such.

"He was employed with Aberdeenshire Decorating Services as a painter and decorator between 2004 and 2010 but the accused continued to receive money into his account."

Defence lawyer John Hardie said his client had started to work for the firm to help someone out and he had initially not been paid for his time.

As time went on, Young started to receive wages while continuing to claim benefits.

In total, Young pocketed £52,359.14 in pension credit from the DWP he was not entitled to.

He also fraudulently took £16,212.84 in housing tax benefits and £4518.07 in council tax benefits from Aberdeenshire Council.