8 December 2004

COLERAINE FRAUD CONVICTIONS

Two women were recently convicted in Coleraine for wrongly claiming benefits from the Social Security Agency.

Ms Christina Moore (24) of Killeague Road, Coleraine, had failed to declare that she was living with her partner. She claimed Housing Benefit to which she was not entitled and was fraudulently in receipt of Income Support of more than £10,000. The overpayments amounted to more than £14,000 in total.

Ms Sandra Scott (43) of Hazeldene Drive, Bushmills, had not declared earnings and had fraudulently received more than £12,000 from the Social Security Agency.

In addition to repaying the money, the Magistrate, Mr McFarlane, imposed sentences of conditional discharge of two years on each of the charges and ordered the defendants to pay court costs.

These are the latest of a series of prosecutions brought by the Agency in its drive to clamp down on benefit fraud.

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