Laois woman provided false information to acquire €150
Portlaoise Courthouse
A LOCAL woman pleaded guilty at last week’s sitting of the district court to providing false information and making a false statement to acquire €150 from the Department of Social Protection.
Stacey Delaney (31), The Meadows, Mountrath Road, Portlaoise pleaded guilty to the offences that took place on 13 March at her address.
Garda Sgt Kirby said that gardaí received a report from the accused and that when she provided false information to the Department of Social Protection, they gave her €150 as a result of the false report.
He said it was only after gardaí viewed CCTV footage that they found the report to be false and that Ms Delaney “only made admissions when arrested.” “It was an unusual report,” said the defendant’s solicitor Barry Fitzgerald.
He said that Ms Delaney “was in significant financial difficulty at the time and borrowed money from a sinister individual. There was an incident after she was coming home from the post office after getting the money from social welfare. She thought the €150 would be an answer to her problem because her financial situation was bleak and she was in a somewhat desperate circumstance. She is committed to paying back the €150 to the social welfare.” He said that his client apologises and regrets wasting the time of the gardaí on her false report.
Judge Andrew Gubbins accepted that Ms Delaney may have been in a stressed situation, “but that in these circumstances she took taxpayers money.” He remanded her on contusing bail to the 8 February sitting of the court and said if the €150 was repaid to the Department of Social Protection, he would consider imposing the Probation Act. If it wasn’t repaid by then, he would convict her of the offence and fine her €400.
Before adjourning the case, Judge Gubbins said: “It seems that this was committed out of desperation and there were sinister elements at play in the background.” *No evidence was given in court as to what the false report given to gardaí was or what false information was provided by the defendant to the Department of Social Protection.
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