Woman defrauded welfare of €58,000

A home care worker used another person’s PRSI number to fraudulently claim almost €60,000 in benefits, a court heard yesterday.

Christina Mulhall, aged 58, from Lower Sean McDermott St, Dublin 1, was prosecuted by the Department of Social Protection and will be sentenced in February.

She pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to charges under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act for unlawfully obtaining benefits on various dates going back to 2007.

The offence, on conviction at district court level, can also result in a fine of up to €2,500 and a possible six-month sentence in addition to having to repay the social welfare authorities. They can also continue to recoup money owed after criminal proceedings have concluded.

Prosecution solicitor Joseph Maguire told Judge John Brennan that Mulhall carried out two frauds relating to disability benefits and the one parent family payment.

Both frauds also involved misuse of another person’s PRSI number and having their ID.

The one-parent family payment fraud netted her €29,775 and the disability claim resulted in her getting €28,676, totalling €58,451.

The court also heard she is paying it back at a rate of €15 a week.

So far, Mulhall has given back €848, Judge Brennan was told.

Her barrister asked the court to accept jurisdiction and said her client was pleading guilty.

The court heard that Mulhall was a cancer survivor and her marriage ended 13 years ago but the mother of six got no financial support from her ex-husband.

The defence said she had increased her repayments by €5 to €15 a week and she made admissions.

Noting Mulhall’s personal circumstances, Judge Brennan accepted jurisdiction for the case to remain in the district court and adjourned the case until a date in February for mitigation and sentencing.