A LIMERICK man who continued collecting jobseeker’s benefit for almost six months after he went back to work will have to pay back more than €4,500 to the Department of Social Protection.
Before Newcastle West District Court was Patrick O’Gorman, of Highmount, Dromcollogher, County Limerick.
State Solicitor for County Limerick, Brendan Gill, called Amy Byrnes, an inspector with the Special Investigations Unit at the Department of Social Protection, to give evidence before Judge Mark O’Connell.
She told the court that she had begun investigating Mr O’Gorman after a commencement of employment notice was filed in October 2022 for the accused, who had been claiming jobseeker’s benefit after losing his previous job.
Mr O’Gorman had actually returned to full time employment in May 2022, but continued to claim the welfare payment for almost six months, Ms Byrnes said.
The total paid out in the fraudulent claim was €4,504.80 to Mr O’Gorman, the Inspector said.
The Dromcollogher man has already repaid €930 and continues to pay €40 a month, by agreement with the Department, Ms Byrnes noted.
She agreed with the accused’s solicitor that he had been “extremely co-operative” and had admitted the offence, to which he was pleading guilty in court.
“At the time, he had a significant gambling problem. He is now attending Gamblers Anonymous,” the solicitor told the court.
After hearing that Mr O’Gorman is the sole earner in a household with three children, Judge O’Connell said that the sum involved “is not an astronomical amount, but it’s a lot to someone who is on jobseeker’s allowance”.
He convicted Mr O’Gorman and handed down a fine of €1,000 with six months to pay.
