Ukrainian woman jailed after flying to Ireland every fortnight to collect social welfare

Woman, 51, had been receiving treatment for a serious medical condition that was no longer available when the war broke out in Ukraine

Garda Louise Keane told the court that the accused was living outside Ireland and travelling every two weeks to collect Jobseeker Allowance payments. File picture: Denis Scannell

A Ukrainian woman has been jailed for flying in and out of Ireland to collect social welfare every fortnight for six months, despite never having lived here.

The 51-year-old woman had been receiving treatment for a serious medical condition. However, this was no longer available when the war broke out in Ukraine, and she began buying her medication on the black market.

Tetiana Stakhiv was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday, having pleaded guilty to theft of €9,103 from the Department of Social Protection between October 2025 and April 2026.

Garda Louise Keane told the court that the accused was living outside Ireland and travelling every two weeks to collect Jobseeker Allowance payments. 

When a Department of Social Protection check was carried out, it was found she had never lived at any of the addresses she had given to the department.

Garda Keane said that several flights between Dublin and Poland aligned closely with her collection dates, and that her passport also tallied with their records.

She said that she was arrested in May  and told gardaí that she came to Ireland in late 2023 to collect her then underage daughter and return to Ukraine.

Garda Keane agreed with Jennifer Jackson, defending, that the accused had been affected by the war in Ukraine. She accepted that she had no cash, personal belongings, or trappings of wealth when arrested.

She also agreed that her client had no English and no family or ties to this jurisdiction, and that custody would be difficult for her.

She accepted that she was no longer receiving treatment in Ukraine after the war broke out, and was buying her medication on the black market.

Garda Keane accepted that she was not a criminal mastermind and said she had sympathy for Stakhiv — "to a degree".

Ms Jackson told the court that, once released from custody, she was planning to live with her 24-year-old daughter in Bulgaria.

Judge Martin Nolan said it was a serious matter for somebody to come to Ireland, pretend she was living here, and then fly in and out to collect social welfare.

“It’s a thought-out crime,” he noted.

Counsel pointed out that she came from a war-torn country, and hadn’t committed the offences in order to go on extravagant holidays.

“Her world was turned upside down. She couldn’t get her medication,” she said, adding that the woman was remorseful.

Judge Martin Nolan imposed a 10-month sentence and backdated it to May 25, when Ms Stakhiv went into custody.