A 26-year-old woman from Anagh Coar has admitted committing a £18,420 benefit fraud.

Nicola Richards, of Darragh Passage, failed to tell authorities that she was working and that her partner was living with her.

She pleaded guilty to five counts of making a false representation to obtain and benefit and one of DHSC fraud - failing to inform a change of circumstances.

Magistrates ordered a probation report to be prepared before sentencing, which will take place in summary court on April 9.

Prosecuting advocate Rachael Braidwood told the court that Richards started claiming income support benefit in March 2017 based on her being a lone parent.

She claimed that until September 2019 and then claimed employed person’s allowance.

However, in August 2019 the Department of Health and Social Care received information that Richards was living with her partner, which she had not declared.

She was also said to have worked at The Caff in Lord Street, Douglas, which she also failed to declare.

Copies of bank statements were obtained, which showed payments into her account from her partner.

Other documentation such as driving and tax documents also indicated that her partner was living with her.

When interviewed by the DHSC Richards claimed that when she worked at The Caff she had been paid only in fuel and free food rather than cash.

She also said that her partner was a fisherman and stayed with her only three nights a week due to him working at other times, and that he had moved in only on October 1, 2019.

However, Steam Packet documents from 2017 and 2018 indicated that Richards and her partner had been living and travelling as a family.

Richards then admitted that her partner had been living with her since February 2018 and said that she would repay any overpayment in benefits.

The overpayment was calculated at £18,420.38 which Richards was said to have started paying back, via deductions from her child benefit.

Ms Braidwood said that the claim had not been fraudulent from the outset.

Magistrates accepted jurisdiction for sentencing and bail was granted in the sum of £500 with conditions that Richards live at her home address, and contact probation.