World

Man fraudulently claims pensions of dead parents for 33 years – caught out by centenary

Published

6 months ago

February 16, 2022

[ad_1]

A court heard that Donal O’Callaghan, from Cork, claimed the pensions of Donald and Eileen from 1987 to 2020. It is believed that it could be the greatest and longest-running welfare fraud case in Ireland.

Mr O’Callaghan, now 58, stands accused of defrauding the country of more than half a million euros (around £419,000).

According to reports in the Irish media, Michael Nagle, a detective at Ireland’s Department of Social Protection, told the court that an investigation had been sparked after trying to contact the elderly Mr O’Callaghan in July 2020, as he was due to reach the age of 100.

The Irish Mirror reports Mr Nagle said: “This would result in the issuing of a congratulatory letter from the president as well as a cheque for €2,540 [£2,131].

“The social welfare inspector’s role was to verify the pensioners details and to confirm their acceptance of the centenarian bounty, prior to it being issued.

READ MORE: Brexit LIVE: EU chief sets exact date axe to fall on on City

“The pensioner, Donald O’Callaghan, was listed as residing at 4 Churchfield Green, Churchfield, Cork with his wife Eileen O’Callaghan and their son Don O’Callaghan.”

As this took place during the coronavirus pandemic, attempts to contact him were made by post or by phone.

Over the phone, Mr O’Callaghan reportedly confirmed to the welfare officer that he resided at the address with his father and mother, and that his father was willing to accept the payment.

Meanwhile, the state pension was being collected weekly at the General Post Office in Cork.

“Donald O’Callaghan died 34 years ago in November 1987, aged 68, and his wife Eileen O’Callaghan died 43 years ago in March 1979, aged 57.”

Mr Nagle obtained CCTV from three collections of the pension at the post office in August and September that year, all of which appeared to show Mr O’Callaghan.

He arrested the pension pincher on October 9, 2020, after collecting the latest fortnightly cheque.

Mr O’Callaghan has plead guilty to 73 counts of social welfare fraud dating back three decades, of which 68 relate to theft. The remaining five counts relate to false documentation.

However, there were nearly 1,700 separate thefts in the fraud.

The investigation by Irish police revealed that when Mrs O’Callaghan had died in 1979, the senior O’Callaghan had started claiming her pension until he died in 1987.

From then, their son had claimed both pensions.

The court also heard that in June 2014, a public services card application was sent to Donald O’Callaghan for social welfare payments.

The form was completed and returned as if signed by him, but a photograph included in the form was deemed too poor for use.

Mr Nagle said: “It transpires that this photograph was taken by [Mr] O’Callaghan of an elderly man whom he knew, who was of a similar age to what his father Donald O’Callaghan would have been.

“He had no other suitable photograph of his father and took the photograph of this male in order to ensure that the fraud continued.”

Defence barrister Ray Boland reportedly claimed his client had a chronic gambling addiction and “needs help”.

Judge Helen Boyle adjourned the case until this morning to consider the sentence.

[ad_2]

Related Topics:caught centenary claims dead fraudulently Man parents pensions years

Up Next

'Good for business!' Xi Jinping pushing for end of Russia-Ukraine crisis to secure trade

Don't Miss

Can't hide anymore! VDL ordered 'act now' as EU crushes rebels in fiery row over hated law

Click to comment

Entertainment

Pay Attention To Childhood Cancer

Published

5 months ago

April 2, 2022

fangbites

Childhood cancer is not very common, since it is estimated that for every 100 adults affected by cancer, there is one child who suffers from it. It comprises numerous types of tumors that develop in children and adolescents from 0 to 18 years of age. The most common types are leukemia, brain tumor, lymphomas, and solid tumors such as neuroblastoma and Willms tumor (kidney tumor).

Don’t Ignore Signs

Sometimes the symptoms of childhood cancer can be confused with those of other diseases, so it can take time to obtain a timely diagnosis that allows the disease to be treated in time. In this sense. Most doctors recommend that parents not ignore the signs, among which are persistent bone and abdominal pain, fever without apparent causes for more than a week, bruising or bleeding from the nose or gums, tumor or node growth, weight loss, among others.

Genetic Factors

Genetic factors and malformations play an important role in the onset of the disease, unlike in adults, where environmental factors such as infectious agents, radiation, smoking, minerals, and chemical compounds have a high incidence. In children, the main cause is still unknown.

The Diagnosis

There are numerous diagnostic tests used to detect childhood cancer; these allow to determine the type of tumor, where it is located and if it has invaded neighboring organs, (if it has metastasized) for which laboratory tests, imaging studies, and biopsies are used. From which the type of treatment to be used to combat the disease will be established.

Medical Treatment

Many doctors give the reassurance that childhood cancer should be treated in institutions where there is a multidisciplinary health team, such as the Cancer Institute. This team consists of pediatric surgeons, radiation oncologists, orthopedists, hematologists, clinical oncologists, psycho-oncologists, among others.

Seek Local Help

The treatment is multidisciplinary, where excellence, professionalism, dedication, avant-garde in medical knowledge are combined, whose main objective is the fight against cancer. You should also consider local centers that offer cancer care Orange County-based.

World

'This is huge' Swedish Air Force jet deployed over Belarus border in threat to Putin

Published

5 months ago

March 26, 2022

fangbites

[ad_1]

The Scandinavian country is not a member of NATO, but could be ready to trade in its neutral status in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

News of Stockholm’s decision to send a jet was revealed by twitter user Jamming.

They wrote: “Swedish Air Force Korpen active over Poland border area with Belarus.

“Sweden part of surveillance of Belarus and Ukraine!!!

“This is a huge political statement! Update on SwAF Korpen.”

The Gulfstream IV aircraft was tracked taking off from Linking airport and then flying towards the city of Grodno in western Belarus.

It was flying at an altitude of just under 12,000 metres at a speed of 836 kilometres per hour.

Although Sweden is not a NATO member, it is an “enhanced opportunity partner” of the military alliance.

The government also signed a statement in 2018 pledging to strengthen its defence cooperation.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson rejected calls by opposition parties earlier this month for the country to join NATO.

She argued that such a move would further destabilise Europe.

Her statement came in the wake of threats from Moscow that NATO membership would bring “serious military-political consequences” for Sweden.

However, there is growing public support among Swedes for their country to join the transatlantic military alliance.

A poll conducted in late February by broadcaster SVT found that 41 percent of the public supported NATO membership, while thirty-five percent were against.

It was the first time an opinion study in Sweden had found more people in favour of the country joining NATO than were against it.

MORE TO FOLLOW….

[ad_2]

World

Putin humiliated: Russia tries and fails to capture defiant Ukraine village for tenth time

Published

5 months ago

March 26, 2022

fangbites

[ad_1]

Russia has tried and failed to capture the village of the Chornobaevka ten times, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Aleksey Arestovich. Videos shared by Ukrainian officials online showed the “tenth defeat of the Russian invaders in Chornobaevka”. The continued failures to capture the village comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last night that his country’s forces had “dealt powerful blows” to the Russian military.

Mr Arestovich told a press conference that Russian troops had tried to take Chornobaevka for the tenth time, but the assault again ended in failure.

Following this, the head of the nearby Mykolaiv Regional State Administration Vitaly Kim published a video showing “the defeat” as explosions erupt on the outskirts of the village.

The resolute village has become famous in Ukraine for its defence, as President Zelensky commended Chornobaivka last weekend for fending off six invasions at the time.

He said: “Ukrainian Chornobaivka will go down in war history. This is a place where the Russian military and their commanders have shown themselves for who they truly are – incompetent, capable of simply handing over their people for slaughter.

“Our military has annihilated the invaders near Chornobaivka six times.

“Six times, yet they keep coming back.”

JUST IN: Putin on brink of major RETREAT in Kyiv

Online users ridiculed the latest Russian failures and hailed the Ukrainian defiance, with one Reddit user remarking: “At some point, I think every military intelligence outfit looking at this must be wondering how bad the rot is in the Russian military.”

One user visavillem added: “So this is the 10th time. Are Russians trying to bait Ukrainians to waste ammo with some obsolete/broken equipment, or are they really so stupid, that they keep stepping on the same rake again and again?”

Another user on Reddit adfgqert posted: “The Ukrainian people have resolve and determination that is beyond what I think is normal.

“Beyond inspirational and they bring fighting for what they believe in to a new level for me.”

This comes amid ongoing setbacks for Russian military forces in the south of the country.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Russia had withdrawn most of its helicopters from a strategic airport in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, according to satellite images.

Kherson has also been the site of several local protests against the occupying Russian soldiers.

The official said: “We can’t corroborate exactly who is in control of Kherson but the point is, it doesn’t appear to be as solidly in Russian control as it was before.

“That would make it very, very difficult for them to make any kind of ground movement on Odesa.

“That would be a significant development, no question about that, in terms of the southern part of the war.”

[ad_2]