A benefit fraudster who continued to claim income support while she was working as a cleaner has avoided jail.

Jillian McGrath, 61, was overpaid benefits to the tune of £66,863.

The Court of General Gaol Delivery heard that began claiming income support in 2013 but failed to declare that she had been working as a cleaner on a self-employed basis since July 2018.

She also failed to declare a savings account which she had opened and into which she had paid £47,264 from her earnings since July 2018, prosecutor Hazel Carroon told the court.

McGrath, of Crossag Terrace, Ballasalla, admitted seven counts of benefit fraud.

The court heard she had two previous convictions for similar offences.

Defence advocate Darren Taubitz said his client’s benefit claim had not been fraudulent from the outset.

‘It was a classic case of something doomed to fail from the start,’ he said.

Mr Taubitz said his client had suffered mental health problems for a significant part of her life and she was remorseful of her offending.

He pointed out that the previous offences were historic, dating back to 1998 and 2007.

But he acknowledged that his client had between 2018 and 2023 made a number of false declarations along the way.

For the first count of benefit fraud, Deemster Graeme Cook handed her a 14-month jail term suspended for two years, with a two-year supervision order.

For the other six counts he handed down a concurrent sentence of 12 months, again suspended for two years, so making 14 months in total.

‘For a third time in your life you have committed benefit fraud,’ he said.

The court heard McGrath had been making payments of £5 a month for the last four months to reduce the sum she owed.