GUILTY PLEA | 

Dublin woman (74) jailed for making false personal injury claims

Winnifred Lawrence made personal injury claims using a false name, Margaret Mongan, on six different occasions between September 2012 and May 2014.

Today at 16:36

A woman who received tens of thousands in compensation after making false personal injury claims over a decade ago has been jailed.

Winnifred Lawrence (74) made personal injury claims using a false name, Margaret Mongan, on six different occasions between September 2012 and May 2014.

The court heard that these six personal injury claims were all processed by the same solicitor. Compensation money was paid out by insurance companies in relation to the first three claims totalling €28,310, with Lawrence receiving a net sum of €23,185.50 after legal expenses.

She pleaded guilty to three counts of making a gain for herself or causing a loss to another by deception on dates between September 2012 and May 2014. Lawrence has three previous convictions, including one for a similar offence for which she received a three-year suspended sentence in 2019.

After hearing facts today, Judge Pauline Codd said a “significant” amount of money was involved, of which Lawrence had been the main beneficiary.

Judge Codd said there had to be general deterrence to this type of offence as it was “a fraud on ordinary people who have to take out insurance and protect themselves against risk”. She also noted that insurance was a “big factor” for public bodies and other bodies who can face “enormous payouts”.

She said the court took into account Lawrence’s guilty plea and that she “seems to have learnt her lesson” as she has not re-offended since her previous conviction.

Judge Codd also noted Lawrence’s personal circumstances, poor health and age.

She imposed a sentence of three and a half years with the final 18 months suspended to mark Lawrence’s ill health.

After sentencing, Lawrence addressed Judge Codd saying she was “very sorry” and it would “never happen again”.

“I know Ms Lawrence, but you have to be punished for what you did,” Judge Codd replied.

Imposing sentence, Judge Codd noted that the defence suggested Lawrence was a “tool” of the other party, but “clearly one could not have operated without the other”.

The judge said Lawrence represented herself as Mongan on various occasions and was also “the beneficiary of a significant amount of money relative to the amount of each claim, in that sense, she had a lot to gain”.