A 58-year-old woman has admitted three counts of benefit fraud which saw her overpaid £15,703.

Sharon Foolkes-Greene had previously denied the offences, with a trial scheduled for September 4, but on Tuesday, the day before her trial, changed her pleas to guilty.

The court heard that the offences had been amended, and brought under a different section of the law.

Prosecuting advocate Peter Connick told the court that Foolkes-Greene, who lives at Alfred Teare Grove in Douglas, had been claiming income support benefit.

In December 2023, her claim was being reviewed when a bank statement submitted showed a payment relating to a pension, which had not been declared.

Further bank statements were obtained and confirmed that the defendant had been receiving a pension which she had not been declaring.

She was interviewed by the Department of Health and Social Care, and claimed that she had thought she did not have to declare the pension, and said she had been acting on advice from the pension authority.

She said that the money had just been sitting there, but she accepted that she had access to it.

Foolkes-Greene said that she had not been deliberately hiding it.

Defence advocate Paul Glover asked for a probation report to be prepared before sentencing.

Bail continues with a condition to contact probation and co-operate in the preparation of the report.