A SON carried out a £86,000 fraud on the public purse over his mother’s care fees, York magistrates heard.

Neil Long, 54, pocketed £190,000 from the sale of his parents’ home, said Victoria Waudby, prosecuting.

Then he claimed to City of York Council social care staff that his parents still owned the house jointly and that his father still lived in it.

As a result, the council taxpayer paid all his mother’s care fees until his deception was discovered.

In total, the council paid out £86,138 which it could have spent on social care for other York residents, said Mrs Waudby.

Long still lives in the family’s house in Leighton Croft, Rawcliffe, north York.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud by false representation.

Magistrates told him his crimes were too serious for them to deal with and sent him to York Crown Court where he will appear on October 31 to be sentenced by a judge.

For Long, Emily Calman reserved his mitigation until the crown court hearing. Long was released on bail.

When social care officers count up an individual’s assets to decide how much someone should pay in care fees, the law says they normally shouldn’t include the value of the person’s house if the person’s spouse is still living in it.

Mrs Waudby, on behalf of City of York Council, said Long attended meetings between his parents and solicitors over the house sale to his brother-in-law in March 2014.

The house sold for £200,000 of which £190,000 went into Long’s bank account in April 2014.

“He was aware of that sale,” said Mrs Waudby.

But in September 2015, he told the council his father was living in the house and in November 2015 he signed a form stating the same.

He has now refunded the council the £86,138, she said.