A 63-year-old benefit fraudster has been fined £36,000 and sentenced to 100 hours community service.

Irene Carus admitted nine counts of benefit fraud which resulted in her being overpaid an amount of £54,000 to which she was not entitled.

Carus has already begun paying back the overpayment via an agreement with Treasury, at a rate of £5 per week.

Magistrates ordered her to pay the £36,000 fine at a rate of £15 per week until the pension which she failed to declare, matures in June 2024, then she must pay the remaining balance of the fine by July 21, 2024.

We previously reported that Carus started receiving income support benefit in April 2016 as she was medically unfit for work.

However, in November 2021 it came to light that she had not declared various amounts in relation to a pension fund.

Statements from banks were obtained which confirmed this.

Approximately £61,000 was paid into her Lloyds bank account between November 2016 and December 2017.

In January 2018, £40,000 was transferred from her Lloyds account to a Santander account.

In June 2021, £35,000 was moved from her Santander account to a Conister account.

In April 2022, Carus, who lives at Castlemona Avenue in Douglas, was interviewed by social security staff and confirmed that she had signed declarations that her circumstances had not changed.

Staff asked her about the pension fund and Carus claimed she had spoken to someone in the social security office who had told her that she did not need to declare it, as she said she was not accessing it.

Bank statements were shown to her which detailed money moving around, but Carus reiterated her claim she had done nothing wrong and did not have access to the funds.

This was said to have resulted in her being overpaid £50,229.

Carus was then due to be sentenced on November 24 for six counts of benefit fraud, however during a probation meeting that day, she disclosed further information which resulted in more charges, relating to a further overpayment of £3,779.

The three new charges related to her failing to declare that she had had access to her husband’s bank account.

Carus was said to have withdrawn money while her husband was in prison.

She claimed that she had given the money to him but checks found that only £3,140 had been deposited to her husband at the prison, while £13,380 had been withdrawn from his account.

A probation report said Carus was adamant that she did not realise she was doing anything wrong, in relation to the first six offences, and claimed that she had been told by people in various government departments that she didn’t have to disclose money coming from a pension, and because she wasn’t spending it.

struggling

However, Carus’ probation officer said that she was not wholly convinced of Carus’ account.

She claimed that she had been struggling at the time due to her husband being in prison and could not touch the pension fund until 2024.

Defence advocate Ian Kermode said that his client had no previous convictions and worked voluntarily in a charity shop.

Mr Kermode said that the first six offences were not classed as offences of dishonesty.

He said: ‘It was Ms Carus herself who suddenly declared the existence of the pension fund.

‘That was a misunderstanding. She has been naive.’

However, the advocate said that Carus accepted that the three further charges, relating to her husband’s account, had been dishonest.

Mr Kermode said that his client could do her community service at the charity shop she was working at and that in 2024, the pension concerned, worth around £40,000, would be unlocked.

Magistrates fined Carus £6,000 for each of the first six offences, and sentenced her to community service for the remaining three charges.

She must also pay costs of £125.