A DISGRACED policeman who claimed £21,000 worth of benefits despite pocketing a Strathclyde Police pension has been jailed for seven months.

Married father-of-four Robert Chestnutt, 51, claimed council tax and housing benefits for six years on his local authority home.

The former cop, who is originally from Belfast, made false claims despite receiving a £500 a month pension fund and living off his wife Anne's earnings and savings.

He was originally charged with fraudulently claiming £25,813.64, but pled guilty at Hamilton Sheriff Court to the reduced amount of £21,000.

Chestnutt, of East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, had told investigators he took the cash between August 2000 and April 2006 because of crippling financial problems.

He said he owed over £20,000 in credit card debts and loans.

Chestnutt - who moved to Glasgow from Northern Ireland in 1977 - had left the police in disgrace in 1991 after being involved in a dishonesty scandal.

Sources had revealed Chestnutt worked out of Glasgow's London Road Police office but had been kicked out of the force after 14 years service.

One source said: "He had been involved in an incident where a member of the public had handed in a tax disc to a police office.

"Chesnutt then claimed he had lost the disc but he was caught red-handed with it a couple of months later when another officer found it hidden in his notebook.

"He was charged with reset and breaking road traffic regulations and that was the end of his career in the police."

Hamilton Sheriff Court was earlier told by defence lawyer Gerry Devanney that Chestnutt had already made several payments to South Lanarkshire Council including a lump sum of £2315.

"He doesn't have any magic source of money from which to repay this money. Far from it, he has large debts," he said this week.

"He has not sought to bury his head in the ground on this issue and he has no doubts about the full powers of the court."

Jailing Chestnutt, Sheriff Marie Smart, said: "This was a serious offence.

"You have obtained £21,000 by fraud By failing to disclose that you had a police pension. You deliberately disguised this income.

"I had given you the opportunity to make a substantial repayment but you have failed to do so and I see no alternative but a custodial sentence.

"This offence could carry a 12 month sentence but I will reduce this to seven months."