An Onchan musician who failed to declare his earnings has been put on probation for a year.

Stewart Gray admitted two counts of benefit fraud which saw him overpaid £1,908 he wasn’t entitled to.

Prosecuting advocate Barry Swain told the court that 49-year-old Gray had been claiming income support benefit from July 2021.

In June 2023, information was received that he had been performing in a band, ‘Shades of Gray’, and not declaring earnings from it.

Checks showed that he had performed at 1886 Bar and Grill, The Railway, Samuel Webbs, The Front Porch, and The Sulby Glen Hotel, being paid up to £250 for some of the performances.

None of the work had been declared.

In August 2022, Gray was given a caution for a similar offence, when he was overpaid £2,910 in benefits, which he is still paying back at a rate of £20 per month, deducted from benefits.

He was interviewed by the Department of Health and Social Care, about the latest offences, and said that he thought he would have declared all his paid performances, but that the band had now folded.

The new offences also put Gray in breach of a suspended sentence, imposed in January for drink-driving, when he was also ordered to pay £3,310 prosecution costs after taking that matter to trial.

A probation report said that the defendant had been working with probation as part of his suspended sentence, but had suffered an assault earlier this year, which had impacted him.

The report said that, prior to health issues, Gray had worked all his life, and had started doing gigs in local bars because he wanted to get some dignity back, and as a way of making additional money.

Gray told probation that he had not set out to deceive the DHSC, and had believed he had declared his earnings, but appeared a little confused over some of the dates.

Defence advocate Laurence Vaughan-Williams said that his client had health issues and had since given up his career as a musician.

The advocate said that Gray had genuinely believed he had informed the department of his earnings, but accepted the facts by way of his guilty pleas.

‘This is a situation where mercy and compassion are called for,’ said Mr Vaughan-Williams.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood also ordered Gray, who lives at The Park, to pay £50 prosecution costs.

He will pay all amounts starting after the conclusion of his previous financial penalties.