Civil servant who is accused of juggling five government jobs tells jurors he hid the roles 'because of PTSD'

Kashim Chowdhury, 55, from Whitechapel, told Southwark Crown Court: 'I accept I made mistakes but I do not believe there was criminal intent.' He earned almost £350,000 from eight public-sector employers between 2020 and 2023, jurors heard. Prosecutors say he exploited post-Covid home working to hide the overlapping jobs. He insisted managers at Defra and Tower Hamlets knew, and denies nine counts of fraud.

Jurors previously heard he allegedly applied white make-up to convince bosses he was ill.

Chowdhury called the jobs his 'lifeline' while caring for his ailing mother.

He took home £11,015.62 from five employers in April 2023 alone.