A 62 year-old man who used a dead man’s identity to falsely claim benefits over a 15 year period has been jailed for nine months.
Patrick McPhillips, whose address was given as River Court, appeared at Derry Crown Court this morning.
He faced nine separate charges of making false declarations to obtain benefits he was not entitled to by claiming he was another man.
The defendant also faced a further charge of fraud by false representation and possessing an article to be used in fraud, namely a letter addressed to another man.
The court was told that the offences began in August 1997 and ran until August 2012.
The total amount claimed was £10,800.
The court heard that McPhillips had used a dead man's identity to commit the crimes, and he also used the man's details to register himself at a different GP than his own.
Judge Philip Babington said he 'regarded the case as significantly different from other DHSS cases', adding that McPhillips had 'engaged in a very deliberate method of offending'.
McPhillips was sentenced to nine months in jail.
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