A benefit fraudster, who was caught after taking an employer to a tribunal, has been handed a suspended sentence.

Jeremy James Rennison failed to declare two jobs he had held while claiming income support benefit, which resulted in him being overpaid £6,788.

The 55-year-old, who lives at Mona Drive in Douglas, has already begun paying the amount back to treasury at a rate of £20 per week.

We previously reported that Rennison was receiving income support from March 2023.

However, in May 2024, a news report about an employment tribunal relating to Rennison brought him to the attention of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

He took a company to a tribunal over unpaid work.

During that tribunal, Rennison claimed he had not been paid for his final week of work at Portofino on Douglas Quay, nor any holiday or notice pay when his employment ended.

Despite winning the case in April this year and being awarded £1,826.50 compensation, Rennison was told he was unlikely to see any money as the restaurant had gone into liquidation.

The report of the tribunal resulted in a DHSC investigation which found that Rennison had failed to declare work he had done for two local companies.

In June 2024, he was interviewed by the department and said that his benefits didn’t cover his living expenses so he had been working.

The benefits claim was said to have not been dishonest from the outset, but the defendant had failed to inform the department of changes to his circumstances when he had obtained work.

Rennison initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of benefit fraud, but then later changed his pleas to guilty.

His sentencing was delayed after he disputed some of the information produced in his probation report and then parted company with his advocate.

On Tuesday, February 11, he appeared before Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood for sentencing after the report had been updated.

The report said that there had been a reluctance on the part of the defendant to accept responsibility for his offending, and assessed him as a high risk of reoffending.

His defence advocate, Paul Glover, said that sentencing options were limited, as probation and community service had been ruled out, which only left custody, a suspended sentence, or a fine.

Mr Glover said that his client had limited income and was already paying back the treasury for the overpayment.

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood said that probation had been ruled out as Rennison had not engaged properly in the past.

She sentenced him to nine weeks’ custody for each count of the offence, to run concurrently, but suspended for two years.

Rennison must also pay £300 prosecution costs at a rate of £5 per week, deducted from benefits.