A benefits cheat, who claimed he didn't like travelling despite taking 839 international flights over nine years, has been jailed for 22 months.

Sahin Lim, 61, from Glasgow, had five undeclared bank accounts which saw transactions of more than £400,000.

During this nine year period, Lim, from Partick, illegally claimed around £40,000 in benefits, while travelling to countries such as Australia, America, Thailand and Ecuador.

On his medical assessment forms he claimed he "would only go outdoors if he had an appointment, that he did not like going outdoors alone, spends the majority of his time in his house and does not like travelling".

On April 4, Lim pleaded guilty to receiving £16,491 in income support, employment support allowance and jobseekers allowance, between April 1, 2005 and May 9, 2014.

Between April 25, 2005 and April 21, 2015 he received a total of £23,508 for housing and council tax benefit, all without declaring a change of circumstances.

The Department for Work and Pensions later learned that over the period of the charges, £426,625 went in to his undeclared accounts, and £423,436 left again.

Passing sentence, sheriff Joseph Platt said: "I accept the circumstances in respect of this offence are unusual.

"You personally took 839 flights. If these were paid for by people who you were assisting, I accept the benefit to you is not the sum going through the bank accounts.

"Nonetheless this must've been a considerable benefit to you if these flights were indeed paid for by others."

Procurator fiscal depute Richard Hill said: "Over the period of the charges, Lim received numerous information leaflets informing him of the requirement to inform authorities if there was a change in personal circumstances including any changes to money coming in or any other sources of income not declared.

"During the period of the charges, Lim completed 45 forms and applications where he failed to declare a change of circumstances."

He was spoken to on the phone in May 2010, June 2011, August 2012 and August 2013 and on each occasion claimed he had no savings, no other money in any other bank accounts and no other income.

In June 2012 DWP received information that Lim had large sums of cash and was travelling abroad extensively, while claiming benefits.

Mr Hill added: "Investigations were carried out and it was established he had five undeclared bank accounts."

Defence lawyer Ryan Sloan said: "Mr Lim is a prominent member of the Turkish community in Glasgow.

"His position is that over the period of the charges he was repeatedly entrusted by other parties to carry out financial transactions on their behalf.

"The only benefit he would receive would be in the purchase of his flights.

"He accepted that all of this money has been going through these accounts."

Mr Sloan added that Lim accepts that although the money "moving through" his accounts was not income, it should have been declared.