A woman who pleaded guilty to six separate detections of benefit fraud was given the Probation Act on condition that she pays the costs of the case owed to the State from taking the case within two months.
State solicitor for Mayo, Seamus Hughes, told the court that Kathleen Wynne, 167 Childers Heights, Ballina, had been detected to be working for a year while still obtaining benefits from the Department of Social Welfare and Family Affairs. She had claimed more than €3,564 in that time.
He also told the court that Wynne is currently repaying the Department from another settlement (that was made outside of court ) she had made with them in relation to €12,849.10 that she had falsely claimed in another case, and had still €8,152.43 on that case, but she had been making regular repayments on this settlement.
Judge David Anderson agreed to deal with the incident under the Probation Act, but adjourned the final decision until October 27 on condition that Wynne have the €350 costs of the case to the State paid within two months.
