A 56-year-old Douglas woman has been handed a suspended sentence after a £6,840 benefit fraud.

Michelle Jallow, of Springfield Road, was sentenced to 16 weeks’ custody, suspended for two years, after she failed to declare a house she had inherited and that her husband was working.

She was also ordered to pay the £6,840 in compensation to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

We previously reported how Jallow had been receiving income-based benefits since 2000. From 2014 she had declared her partner was not working and had no income.

But the DHSC found Jallow’s husband had worked for Joe Crook Roofing and Bridson and Horrox since 2014.

The undeclared earnings had resulted in an overpayment of benefits of £2,934.

Further investigations found Jallow had inherited a share in a house when her mother had died. The house had been sold for £132,500 and she was said to have received £44,166 as a lump sum in relation to her share.

Jallow was interviewed by the DHSC in May and admitted knowing her husband had been working and that she had failed to declare this on her claim form.

She said she realised she had done something wrong but did not take any of his earnings, which she said, were sent to his family in The Gambia. Regarding the inheritance, Jallow initially claimed she had only received £12,500 and it had been split between children and grandchildren.

However, during further questioning she was said to have become emotional and admitted to receiving more, saying she used £33,000 to buy a three-bedroom house in The Gambia.

Defence dvocate Peter Taylor said that the fraudulent part of the claim which related to the house had only started in August 2016, when Mrs Jallow had inherited it and this had resulted in a benefits overpayment of £3,906.

Mr Taylor handed in references for his client and said: ’When her husband become employed she turned a blind eye. The third offence (relating to the house) is the more serious.

’She wanted to leave something for her children and took steps to keep the transaction from the department. ’

A probation report assessed Jallow as a low risk of reoffending or general risk to the public.

’This matter has caused her great apprehension and it will take a long time for her to forget it,’ said Mr Taylor. ’It’s her first experience of court, hopefully it will be her last.’

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said while passing sentence: ’You are described in the report as an honest and trustworthy person. You’ve lost that because now you’re a convicted fraudster.

’The money was taken from the taxpayer to benefit your own children.’