Troon benefit cheat earned a living taking people to court.

Oct 29 2010 by Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

A PHOTOGRAPHER earned a living suing people for copyright theft – while claiming thousands of pounds in benefits.

Alan Mackie was described in court this week as a ‘serial litigator’ when he faced a charge of housing benefit fraud.

Mackie even targeted charities during his copyright campaign.

He sent threatening letters and took many people to the small claims court after they innocently downloaded scenic views from his website.

He forced businesses, charities and individuals to cough up hundreds of pounds for their blunder.

But all the time, con man Mackie was claiming state benefits.

At Ayr Sheriff Court, he pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining £24,368 in income support between October 2002 and August 2008.

He faced a further two charges relating to housing benefits of £8841 and council tax benefits of £2877.

However, his not guilty pleas were accepted by prosecutors.

Depute fiscal Erin Campbell told Sheriff Desmond Leslie that the benefit cheat hotline received an anonymous call on April 28 stating that Mackie was running a business – 197 Aerial Photography – with a website.

Ms Campbell described Mackie as a ‘serial litigator.’

She explained: “He would take people to the small claims court for downloading photographs illegally obtained from his website.

“After a full investigation, many witnesses confirmed they had been sued and paid money to his business.”

Ms Campbell went on to say that none of the money had been disclosed on his income support forms.

Mackie also failed to disclose that he was running a business and kept a Royal Bank of Scotland bank account secret from the authorities.

Police asked Mackie to attend at the station for an interview but he refused.

Therefore, officers went and arrested him in order that they could speak with him.

But during an interview he took ill and suffered an angina attack.

Paramedics were called and the interview was suspended.

He was later given a further opportunity to attend but failed to turned up.

Instead he sent a letter from a saying he was unfit for interview.

Ms Campbell said that Mackie claimed £24,000 that he was not entitled to.

Defence lawyer Peter Lockhart asked that Mackie’s bail be continued while reports are prepared.

Sheriff Leslie agreed but warned Mackie, of Gillies Street in Troon, that he had better co-operate fully with social workers.