Married couple defrauded taxpayers of £40,000

A married couple from Douglas have admitted defrauding Manx taxpayers after claiming more than £40,000 of benefits they weren’t entitled to.

37-year-old Vanessa Emma Dawson and 34-year-old Dominic James Dawson, of Willaston Crescent, appeared at Douglas Courthouse on Thursday.

She pleaded guilty to four offences of fraud between September 2015 and June 2017 - her husband admitted two offences between September 2015 and October 2017.

The court heard Mrs Dawson had failed to inform the government that her circumstances had changed between those dates - as a result she was overpaid more than £30,000.

She admitted not telling officials that she lived with her husband, that two of her children had finished full time education and that she’d secured employment.

Mr Dawson admitted failing to declare that he was living with his wife and that he was employed - it meant he was overpaid by more than £9,500.

Magistrates committed the case to the Court of General Gaol Delivery for sentencing telling the couple: "You have defrauded the taxpayer over a long period of time".

Both will appear at that court on August 6th - they were bailed until that date.