A mother-of-five fraudulently claimed €22,000 in single parent benefits after she got married, a court has heard.
Lyndsey Bell from Ennel Drive, Artane, Dublin, pleaded guilty to failing to notify the social welfare office that she had got married in April 2011, and she was given the one parent family payment.
She is being prosecuted by the office of the Minister for Social Protection, and appeared before Judge John O’Neill at Dublin District Court.
The court heard the woman, who is on social welfare, has begun to regularise her repayments and has given back €194 out of a total of €22,249.
She is now repaying €80 a month and at that rate it will take 22 years to reimburse the full amount, Judge O’Neill heard.
Asked by Judge O’Neill whether she had any proposals to clear the balance she replied, “No, that is the best I can do”. She also told the court her partner was not currently working.
Judge O’Neill told her that taxpayers “have to foot the bill”.
He said he was not going to finalise the case and he adjourned it until September for a pre-sentence probation report to be furnished to the court.
Dublin District Court also heard the authorities had powers to continue to recoup money owed after a case has been finalised.