Today at 15:42

A Belfast man has been convicted for claiming over £17,000 in benefits he was not entitled to while “living abroad”.

Maurice Shannon (67) of Norfolk Way appeared before Belfast Crown Court following a probe by the Department for Communities.

It found he claimed carers allowance and housing benefit rates relief totalling £17,296 whilst failing to declare he was living abroad.

The defendant was handed an eight month prison sentence which was suspended for two years.

Mr Shannon was ordered to repay all outstanding money wrongly obtained to the department.

Communities minister Gordon Lyons reintroduced the policy of naming and shaming those who commit benefit fraud as part of a new “zero tolerance” approach.

Earlier this year he outlined his intention to bring back publicising cases of those convicted of fraudulent claims.

The proposals were outlined in the Assembly days after the Belfast Telegraph reported a whistleblower’s concerns about “mass abuse” of the system.

Benefit fraud in NI costs over £160m a year.

Mr Lyons previously warned that “welfare fraud is not just a financial issue” but “a moral one”.

“When individuals cheat the system, they are not stealing from a faceless entity; they are taking from their neighbours, their friends, and their fellow citizens,” he added.

“They are undermining the very safety net that so many rely on.

“Therefore, let me be unequivocal: I am taking a zero-tolerance approach. I am personally committed to rooting out fraud and ensuring that those who exploit the system face the consequences.”