A Douglas woman has been sentenced to community service by magistrates for a £11,260 benefit fraud.

Catherine Louise McGowan, whose age was not given in court, of York Road, admitted the offence and must perform 100 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months.

Prosecutor Mark Benson told the Magistrates’ Court how McGowan had been claiming income support since June 2016.

However, in July 2017 information was received that she had been working at the Railway Inn in Union Mills from September 2016 to July 2017.

She was said to have received £5,281 for working there while claiming income support benefit.

McGowan was interviewed by social security officers and shown the income support forms, which she admitted signing.

She said that she was aware that any changes in circumstances had to be declared but said that she would have only read bits of the documentation.

She said that she worked at the pub a few hours to start with but then ’got dragged into it’.

McGowan said she knew it was wrong and that she should have told social security officers.

She was said to be working 15 hours a week at the on Fridays and Saturdays.

McGowan was said to be very remorseful and told social security that she was willing to pay back the overpayment.

A probation report said that McGowan had been helping a friend out at the pub and became fearful of owning up to the Department of Health and Social Care.

She was said to have started repaying the benefits at a rate of £20 per week.

Defence advocate Rebecca Cubbon told the court: ’During her time in employment she would possibly have been eligible for Employed Persons Allowance.

’She has been paying it back for the past few months voluntarily.

’She wants to make good the wrong she has done.’

The advocate continued: ’The claim didn’t start fraudulently, she had fallen into helping a friend and it somehow snowballed.

Part-time

’She didn’t work a significant amount of hours, it was a part-time position.’

Ms Cubbon went on to say that McGowan had earned £285 per month but that £160 of that had gone on paying rent.

’She knows what she did was wrong and it’s something she won’t be doing again,’ said the advocate.