A man was handed a jail sentence for benefit fraud on Tuesday, social security chiefs say.
The 27-year-old from Colinbrook Avenue in Poleglass in West Belfast, was given four months jail after admitting to claiming more than £3,000 in Universal Credit he was not entitled to.
He was released, however, after lodging an appeal. The Department for Communities said he “claimed Universal Credit totalling £3,716 by making false declarations”.
The fraud, they added, “was uncovered following an investigation by the Department for Communities”.
The Northern Ireland Court Service said the false declarations related to issues including the fact he “falsely indicated that 1) you had two children, 2) that you were not working”.
They added that the court, Lisburn Magistrates, “having considered a pre-sentence report is of the opinion that the offence, or combination of the offence and one or more offences associated with it, was so serious that only such a sentence can be justified for the offence”.
They added, however, that the accused was “released pending appeal”.
Three men and three women were also convicted today at Belfast Magistrates’ Court for claiming benefits they were not entitled to.
The money wrongly claimed ranged £177 to £4,289, however none of them were jailed. The person who claimed the largest amount did receive a suspended sentence.
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