A Scots benefits cheat who hid his husband to claim thousands of pounds has dodged a prison sentence because of delays in prosecuting the case against him.
Paul Barty conned the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) out of thousands by failing to declare he was living with a partner who was working at the time.
But a sheriff allowed him to walk free after noting that the DWP's pursuit of the case had featured delays mounting to a number of years.
