A benefits fraudster who did not declare earnings from her own company has been sentenced.

Alison Mary Phillips must do 120 hours community service for her £16,693 benefit fraud.

The 63-year-old failed to declare that she was receiving earnings from her business ‘Something Different’.

During a previous court appearance she admitted 10 counts of making a false representation to obtain a benefit.

We previously reported that Phillips, who lives at Orry Place, Castletown, started claiming incapacity benefit in 2012 and that her benefit claim had been genuine at the outset.

However, she was said to have later started working via her own business, ‘Something Different’, a gift shop, and not declared this change in her benefits claim.

The net profits of ‘Something Different’ were said to have exceeded those allowed.

Her fraudulent claim was said to have been between July 2016 and April 2020.

The 10 counts of benefit fraud were said to be specimen charges and the overall amount Phillips had received, to which she was not entitled, had been £16,963.45.

Phillips was interviewed by social security staff and claimed that she had been informed by someone in the department that she could work 16 hours per week.

When asked if there had been a change in her circumstances during the period of her claim, she said she could not recollect anything.

No evidence was found of Phillips being informed she could work the 16 hours and when told this, she said: ‘I understand that now. I didn’t do it intentionally.’

The court heard that she has already agreed with the Treasury to begin paying back the money.

Defence advocate Paul Glover asked for credit to be given for his client’s guilty plea and the fact that she has no previous convictions.

Mr Glover said that Phillips accepted her offending and that her claim had not been fraudulent from the outset.

The advocate referred to a probation report which assessed Phillips as a very low risk of reoffending and of harm to others.

Mr Glover also handed in two letters of reference for his client and asked magistrates to follow the recommendation of the probation report, for community service.

Magistrates also ordered Phillips to pay £50 prosecution costs which she must pay by January 3.