News

Woman who claimed more than €44,600 of her partner’s pension after his death avoids jail

By October 17, 2019 No Comments

Woman who claimed more than €44,600 of her partner’s pension after his death avoids jail

A WOMAN who claimed more than €44,600 of her partner’s pension for four years after he died has been given a suspended three-and-a-half year sentence.

Geraldine Doyle (63) was nominated to collect the pension of her partner, who suffered from dementia and Parkinson’s disease, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard yesterday.

However, when her partner died in 2012, his death was not registered and Doyle continued to collect his €200 weekly pension for a further four years.

Doyle, of The Village, Porterstown, Dublin 15, pleaded guilty to four sample counts of theft from the Department of Social Protection between October 5, 2012 and July 14, 2016.

She stole a total of €44,652 from the State, Gda Eimhear Keeshan told the court.

At the time, Doyle was in receipt of other social welfare payments, including rent allowance, the court heard.

The crime came to light when a worker in the Department of Social Welfare noticed Mr Gunne’s death had not been registered until 2016. Doyle had no previous convictions.

John Moher, defending, said his client suffered from serious stomach issues and has had a number of surgeries in recent years.

He said Doyle, a mother-of-three and a grandmother, also suffered from mental health problems and was “overwhelmed with self-loathing” at her offending.

Doyle repaid a sum of €10,000 to the department this week and has agreed to pay €150 a week to pay off the remaining money.

Irish Independent