A MAN accused of defrauding more than £380,000 in care payments from Bradford Council and the Department for Work and Pensions will appear at Crown Court later this month.

Shazad Hussain, 38, of Primary Way, Bradford, made no indication of pleas to five charges of fraud by abuse of position during a brief hearing at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court yesterday.

Between May 2007 and September last year, he is accused of accumulating £383,841 in various bank accounts.

Prosecutor Imran Khan asked for the matter to be transferred to the higher court.

Chairman of the bench Gillian Arnold agreed, and granted Hussain unconditional bail ahead of a preliminary hearing on April 21.