By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-02 05:46:05 | Updated at 2026-10-02 07:13:33
1 hour ago
A 60-year-old benefits cheat won't see jail time despite taking home more than £50,000 in taxpayers' cash.
Deirdre Conway, from Cookstown in County Tyrone, has been found guilty of benefit fraud totalling some £52,204.32.
Dungannon Crown Court was told that she had overstated the severity of her disability to claim Personal Independent Payments (Pip) she was not entitled to.
The court handed her a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for three years.
A probe by Northern Ireland's Department for Communities brought the scale of the 60-year-old's fraud to light.
Conway was additionally ordered to return all the tax cash back to the Department.
The conviction comes amid Communities Minister Gordon Lyons' crackdown on welfare fraud across the province.
Mr Lyons has warned that fraudulent benefit claims cost taxpayers north of £160million each year.
He has previously announced plans to bring back the naming and shaming of individuals convicted of welfare fraud under a new "zero-tolerance approach".
Dungannon Crown Court was told that Ms Conway had overstated the severity of her disability to claim PIP
Members of the public who suspect benefit fraud is taking place are able to make anonymous reports directly to the Department for Communities.
While Northern Ireland loses more than £160million per year to benefits fraudsters, Great Britain sees some £6.5billion snatched up.
One case contributing to that figure includes a benefits cheat from Stoke-on-Trent who swindled £29,000 in Universal Credit.
Jordan Emery also managed to skip jail - despite failing to notify a change of circumstances which affected his entitlement to Universal Credit.
The conviction comes amid Communities Minister Gordon Lyons' crackdown on welfare fraud across Northern Ireland
The dad lawfully claimed Universal Credit in March 2019 and, in July 2020, updated his claim to state that his two children had moved into his home.
North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard how the Universal Credit team requested additional information to support his claim in September 2020.
Emery, 33, uploaded a letter from Stoke-on-Trent City Council confirming the children were in his care, reports The Sentinel.
However, in January 2024 the National Benefit Fraud hotline received an anonymous tip-off that both children had not been living there since January 2021.
Magistrates at the Newcastle-under-Lyme court sentenced Emery to an 18-month community order with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Fraudulent benefit claims cost taxpayers in Northern Ireland upwards of £160million each year
He was fined £40 and ordered to pay £400 in costs and a £114 surcharge.
But he and other benefits cheats could be banned from driving under new powers granted to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on Thursday.
The DWP, from yesterday, gained new enforcement powers as it heightens its crackdown on those who owe money after receiving benefits they were not entitled to.
The department will also now be able to recover money from fraudsters' bank accounts directly.
In the most serious cases, regular dodgers could have their driving licence suspended or revoked, but this power will only be exercised under specific circumstances.
