Woman branded benefits cheat after £70,000 fraud

Woman branded benefits cheat after £70,000 fraud

14 May 2014

A BALLYNAHINCH woman who fraudulently claimed almost £70,000 in benefits has received a suspended prison sentence.

Arlene O’Connor (48), of Drumaness Road, claimed benefits in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland for over eight years before being caught in 2012.

At Downpatrick Crown Court this week it was outlined that O’Connor claimed over £66,250 in income support and over £3,100 in housing benefit in Northern Ireland.

She admitted two counts of making a false declaration to obtain benefits and two counts of failing to declare a change in circumstances.

Prosecution barrister, Mrs. Laura Ievers, explained O’Connor had been living in Cork, where she claimed benefits, before moving back to Ballynahinch in 2004 where she also began claiming benefits.

In 2012 she sent a letter to the Department for Social Protection in Dublin saying she wanted to cancel her benefits claims which prompted Department officials to alert their counterparts in Northern Ireland that a fraud may have been committed.

O’Connor had agreed to pay back £6.70 every fortnight but this had ended in June 2013 and there was no hope of her being able to pay the money back by this method, the court was told.

Defence barrister, Mr. Noel Dillon, explained when O’Connor moved back to Ballynahinch she went to the local Department of Social Security office and handed in her benefit books from the Irish Republic which she believed would terminate the benefit claim in Cork.

However, new benefit books were issued in the Republic and sent to her old address in Cork where her son was now living.

“In Cork her son and his partner made use of the new books and she (O’Connor) didn’t put an end to it when she should have,” said Mr. Dillon.

“Eventually she wrote to the Department in a bid to bring things to an end and she believes her son’s partner alerted the Garda,” he added.

Mr. Dillon explained that O’Connor was entitled to claim benefit in each jurisdiction and the fraud came because she continued to allow claims in the Irish Republic when she moved back to Northern Ireland.

“This was not fraudulent from the outset but when she became aware of it she didn’t bring it to an end immediately,” he said.

Judge Geoffrey Miller accepted a pre-sentence report which highlighted that O’Connor had suffered considerable problems in her life but said she had committed a serious offence.

“She was the claimant and she had primary responsibility to make a full and frank disclosure of the facts,” he said.

“These offences cheat the benefit system, cheat those who make legitimate claims and cheat those who pay their taxes,” said Judge Miller.

He sentenced O’Connor to 12 months in prison on each charge which he suspended for two years.

A confiscation hearing will take place next month to determined how the money can be recuperated.