A benefit fraudster has been caught after he took his former bosses to an employment tribunal.

Jeremy James Rennison had taken his employer to the tribunal despite never declaring he was working for the restaurant while claiming benefits. In fact, he failed to declare two jobs he had held while claiming income support benefit.

The 55-year-old initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of benefit fraud, but on Tuesday, December 3, appeared in court, before Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood, changing his pleas to guilty.

He will be sentenced on January 28 next year, after a probation report has been prepared.

Prosecuting advocate Peter Connick told the court 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).

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.

In a further twist, 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 Portofino had gone into liquidation.

Portofino ceased trading December 2023, with owner Mario Ciappelli blaming rising costs of ingredients, labour, and overheads, coupled with the ‘unpredictable nature of the hospitality business’.

Rennison worked at the quayside restaurant in Douglas from June 4 to August 12 last year and was paid in cash at a rate of £10 per hour.

While Portofino did not officially respond at the tribunal, the owners did send an email which said: ‘He wanted to work but he asked me to pay him cash so he could still get the Job Seekers money from the government.

‘That’s why he didn’t work for us and now I think is trying to get us back.’

Media coverage of the tribunal hearing 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.

A pre-trial review was due to be held on December 3, after the defendant, who lives at Mona Drive in Douglas, had denied the allegations in court.

However, his advocate David Reynolds said that transcripts of Rennison’s interviews had been obtained, which showed that he had admitted the offences a number of times.

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.

Bail has been granted in the sum of £500, with a condition to contact probation and co-operate in the preparation of the report.