A security guard who worked as a farmhand while claiming injury compensation has pleaded guilty to 12 charges relating to making dishonest claims, receiving payments and declaring false statements.

ReturnToWorkSA provided the defendant ten separate payments from October to December 2019 for injuries he received as a security guard that rendered him unable to work.

Investigations found that the man, who declared that he had not earned income since an operation in August 2019, held a paid position as a farmhand on the Eyre Peninsula despite medical certificates saying he could not work.

The South Australian Employment Tribunal sentenced the defendant to 109 days of suspended imprisonment and ordered him to repay more than $28,000, including $17,641 for dishonestly received payments.

The sentencing magistrate said dishonest claims “risk the effective operation of a scheme of compensation which is in place to protect persons who have suffered injuries at work”.

ReturnToWorkSA Executive Regulation Leader James Large says the regulator will continue to stringently investigate individuals or businesses who “try to rort the system” to take money away from legitimate claims.

“We take fraud very seriously and will rigorously pursue cases where we think there are suspicious activities or improper claims being made,” Mr Large said.

“By doing so, we are protecting access for legitimately injured workers who rely on the scheme to provide support for their incapacity or disability.”