4 April 2005

COLERAINE BENEFIT CHEAT SENTENCED

Coleraine man, Trevor Hutchinson, was convicted in North Antrim Court recently for defrauding the Social Security Agency. He had failed to declare that he was working whilst claiming Job Seekers Allowance and had fraudulently received more than £10,000 over a period of almost two years.

In addition to repaying the money, Mr Hutchinson (48) of Portstewart Road, Coleraine was sentenced to a fine of £550 and was ordered to pay £196 court costs. He was given 26 weeks to pay and told by Magistrate Wilson that any future offence would result in a custodial sentence.

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

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