A benefits fraudster has avoided jail after claiming more than £3,000 in support that she was not entitled to.
Laura McDermott was convicted at Omagh Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where she was given a one-month prison sentence, which was ultimately suspended for 12 months.
The 37-year-old, from Mullaghmore Drive in Omagh, claimed income support which totalled £3,239.
McDermott had also failed to declare her employment status at the time.
The fraud was uncovered after an investigation by the Department for Communities.
McDermott has been ordered to repay any outstanding money, which was wrongly obtained, back to the department.
Stormont’s Communities Minister Gordon Lyons reintroduced the policy of naming and shaming those who commit benefit fraud this year.
It is part of a “zero-tolerance” approach to address the issue that is costing taxpayers about £160million each year, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
The woman was sentenced at Omagh Magistrates’ Court
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Mr Lyons said the reason behind bringing back publicising such cases at the time, saying “welfare fraud is not just a financial issue” but a “moral one”.
He said that when “individuals cheat the system, they are not stealing from a faceless entity”.
“They are taking from their neighbours, their friends and their fellow citizens,” Mr Lyons added.
What Mr Lyons says they are doing is “undermining the very safety net that so many rely on”.
Northern Ireland Communities Minister Gordon Lyons
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He said “let me be unequivocal: I am taking a zero-tolerance approach”.
Mr Lyons said he was personally committed to “rooting out fraud” and making sure those who exploit the system suffered the consequences.
