A deaf fraudster manipulated a Government scheme to help the disabled into employment in order to channel tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money, through a company run by his wife, into his own pocket.

Andrew Thomson defrauded the so-called Access to Work Scheme for 11 months before an anonymous tip-off alerted the Department of Work and Pensions.

Thomson, 51, born profoundly deaf, the self-employed director of a communications company for the deaf, applied for a grant via the Access to Work Scheme, saying he needed British Sign Language interpreters to provide signing and translation services for himself and other employees of the firm.

His firm, Grangemouth-based Sign-now.com, claimed to provide "sophisticated yet simple to use video conferencing for deaf and hearing people, a dedicated website for the deaf community, and filming and online interpretation services".

On Tuesday Stirling Sheriff Court was told it was not known whether it was still trading.

Prosecutor Sarah Lumsden said Thomson claimed he needed six hours a day of interpreting assistance and two hours a day translation, to assist him with correspondence and making and taking phone calls at Sign-now.

Freelance British Sign Language interpreters, charged out at £44 an hour, were employed under the Access To Work scheme through the Interpreting Agency Ltd., which Miss Lumsden told the court was run by Thomson's wife, Caroline Thomson, 52.

The Interpreting Agency Ltd submitted invoices in support of Thomson's claims, which were paid by the Department of Work and Pensions into a bank account in the name of The Interpreting Agency Ltd.

The court heard that Thomson himself was a signatory of this bank account.

The Department of Work and Pensions began an investigation into the grant after receiving an anonymous letter.

The Thomsons' home in New Carron, Falkirk; Sign-now's offices in the Grangemouth Enterprise Centre; and the Interpreting Agency Ltd's offices in upmarket Blythswood Square, Glasgow, were searched.

Diaries and invoices were seized, and the freelance British Sign Language interpreters used by the Interpreting Agency Ltd were questioned.

Miss Lumsden, the depute fiscal, said: "There weren't enough British Sign Language interpreters physically available to cover the number of hours claimed in Access To Work grant."

She added that the fraud had resulted in an overpayment totalling £80,000.

Thomson pleaded guilty to defrauding the DWP of the sum, between January 1 and November 30, 2011.

His wife's plea of not guilty to involvement in the fraud was accepted by the prosecution, and she was told she could leave the dock.

The couple, who have a teenage son, had originally been charged with a four-year scam to defraud taxpayers of nearly £250,000 by submitting bogus claims, stretching back to 2008.

Their pleas were tendered on Tuesday, at the start of what would have been a jury trial scheduled to last four weeks.

Sheriff William Gilchrist deferred sentence until May 11 for a Criminal Justice Social Work report, and released Thomson on bail.

Addressing him through a sign language interpreter, he said: "All sentencing options are available to the court, and that will include imprisonment."

Thomson's advocate, David Nicolson, said he would reserve his speech in mitigation for the sentencing hearing.

A confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act was set for June 22.