Newcastle woman’s £18,000 benefits swindle

Newcastle woman’s £18,000 benefits swindle

8 October 2014

A NEWCASTLE woman has been placed on probation after admitting wrongly claiming over £18,000 in benefits.

Thirty one year-old Paula Sutherland appeared at Downpatrick Court on Monday on two charges of failing to notify the Housing Executive of changes in her circumstances which would have affected her benefit payments.

The court heard Sutherland began claiming Income Support in 2005 and housing benefits in 2010.

However, in December 2008 she began living with a man and had a child with him, but failed to tell the benefits authorities.

A prosecution barrister said Sutherland claimed benefits as a single person but by the time the Housing Executive found out about her living with a man she had been overpaid by more than £18,000.

When questioned, Sutherland said the man was only her landlord and was not the father of her child. She later admitted that he was her partner at that time and the father of one of her children.

Defence barrister, Stephen Molloy, said Sutherland, a mother of three from Bracken Avenue, who is still on benefits, is currently repaying the money at a rate of £140 a month.

Mr. Molloy said his client “had a tough upbringing” and used the payments to take care of herself and her children’s daily needs, not for anything extravagant.

He said others had told her to tell the Housing Executive she was a single parent.

“This is a woman who could be easily influenced by others,” Mr. Molloy said.

“It’s a very substantial amount of money,” District Judge Mr. Greg McCourt said. “It will take a very long time to reduce that down to nil.”

Mr McCourt said this was “a serious matter” and Sutherland could use the assistance of the Probation Service in her life.

He ordered her to undertake 12 months of probation and to complete 70 hours of community service.