A FORMER bodyguard of Tony Blair, accused of a large-scale benefits fraud, tried to commit suicide three times, a jury has heard.

Vaughan Dodds, of Langley Moor, in Durham, attended day three of his trial at Teesside Crown Court today (August 27).

The 45-year-old former firearms officer denies 12 charges of making dishonest representations to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Durham County Council while claiming disability living allowance, income tax and council tax benefits.

The court heard how a team of investigators carried out undercover surveillance on Mr Dodds and his wife, Mandy, from Langley Moor, Durham, over a 40-day period to see if their disability claims were genuine after a joint investigation was launched by the DWP and the council.

It is claimed Mr Dodds, who protected the former Prime Minister's home in Trimdon, County Durham, exaggerated or lied about the extent of the couple’s illnesses and disabilities and illegally raked in £55,000 in hand-outs.

The jury heard how the couple enjoyed foreign holidays, went on a motorcycling course and sent their children to public schools, despite filling in official forms to say that Mrs Dodds was hypersensitive to the slightest noise and Mr Dodds was sometimes unable to leave the house because of his ME.

Prosecutor Graham O’Sullivan played footage of the pair attending their son’s music concert and asked DWP investigator, Philip Stokes, to read out several entries of a journal kept by Mr Dodd’s during a family holiday to Egypt in 2009, where he described activities such as visiting a crowded monastery and listening to a DJ around the pool.

However, Nigel Soppitt, defending, questioned why no surveillance was carried out at weekends and asked Mr Stokes why he had not been more thorough in his description of Mr Dodds when his statement said he thought he had been at the gym, but did not describe him wearing any gym-wear.

Jurors heard from the transcript of Mr Dodd’s interview that he confirmed he had ME and had recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

However, he said it was “unfair” when Mr Stokes stated he had never been seen with a wheelchair, walking sticks or golfing umbrella to help him walk, despite claiming he could not walk further than 10 metres without being in pain.

“It is not as clear cut as you are making out,” Mr Dodds said. “You are making out we have an extravagant lifestyle, but I find it very hard to cope with life. I have tried to commit suicide three times – I have really severe psychological problems now, but I am just trying to cope.”

He also told Mr Stokes that it was his father’s dying wish to pay for his children to be privately educated and did not accept that thousands of pounds of inheritance money was ever for him, despite being in his name and declaring the couple had only 25p in their bank account to the authorities.

The case continues.