Courts / Dublin / Report
Woman who sought asylum under false ID stole €100k in benefits
Summary
Janet Agbontaen, 55, a Nigerian woman who arrived in Dublin in 2001 under a false identity claiming to be from Sierra Leone, was jailed for two years after fraudulently claiming more than €100,000 in child welfare and single parent benefits. She used a fake name to obtain about €55,000 in child benefit, €3,000 in early childcare allowance, and €83,700 in one parent family payments. In 2002 she challenged a deportation order and her sworn statements led to charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice. Agbontaen pleaded guilty to nine counts of theft from the Minister of Social Protection, giving false information to a births registrar, and fraudulently obtaining a driving licence. She was described as a victim of domestic violence and coercion by her husband, and the court noted her lack of prior offending when imposing the sentence.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Woman who sought asylum under false ID stole €100k in benefits. Charges or matters: nine sample counts of theft from the Minister of Social Protection at post offices at Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and in Dublin city on various dates between October 2002 and April 2008; giving false information to a births registrar about her child in October 2002 and fraudulently obtaining a driving licence in November 2002. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- April 2001 Hearing Or Sentence
- October 2002 Hearing Or Sentence
- April 2008 Hearing Or Sentence
- November 2002 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2022-01-25 Publication
Why: Lorcan Staines SC, prosecuting, told the court that because of the varyingly false accounts of her children she gave in her application to stay here, the Minister was unknowingly seeking to deport an Irish citizen. CNI source report
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: nine sample counts of theft from the Minister of Social Protection at post offices at Enniscorthy, Co Wexford and in Dublin city on various dates between October 2002 and April 2008; giving false information to a births registrar about her child in October 2002 and fraudulently obtaining a driving licence in November 2002 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Nolan told the woman's family, who became very distressed as the prison term was imposed, that "your mother is getting the most lenient sentence the court can give".
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- High Court
Topics
Stage Sentence Theft Violent Crime
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