Laois woman continued to receive father-in-law’s pension for 28.5 years after his death – The Irish Times

A judge said it was “extraordinary” and “hard to accept” that a Laotian grandmother continued to receive her father-in-law’s pension for 28.5 years after his death, causing the family to lose more than €270,000. The state was the only person in her family who knew about the offender.

Margaret Bergin (73), of Fairfield House, Mountrath, Co Laois, previously pleaded guilty to theft and larceny in relation to her claim for a pension payment to her father-in-law John Bergin after his death in 1993, amounting to a total loss of the estate 271 046.28 euros.

At Portlaoise Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday, Judge Keenan Johnson noted that Bergin’s husband was sitting in bed when she introduced him to welfare officials as the late Mr Bergin during an inspection at their home, and noted the volume of correspondence: including from Árasa an Uachtaraín, sent to the late Mr Bergin, said it was “difficult to accept” that Bergin was the only person in her family who knew about the offending.

The court previously heard Bergin’s crime was only discovered after an amateur gerontologist began researching the 110-year-old man, believed to live in Mountrath, Co Laois.

Damien Colgan, representing Mr Bergin, said his client, who was the authorized withdrawal agent for Mr Bergin’s pension, claimed she was the only person involved in the offence.

As compensation for her offence, the court was awarded a sum of €35,000 at a previous hearing in June. Mr Colgan said Bergin’s son received a further €40,000 in bank overdraft funds.

Mr Colgan said there was “no other money” and said his client could pay €50 from her weekly pension as additional compensation.

Mr Colgan said Bergin compared her abuse to digging a hole in an interview with gardaí. “The longer you put it off, the deeper you sank… I wish I had never started,” she said.

When asked by gardaí why she started the offending, she replied: “It just became a habit… There was no one to tell you to stop.”

She told police she spent her pension money “mostly on shopping and food.”

Mr Colgan said his client was “struggling to cope”, with feelings of embarrassment and shame arising from her offending, that her family was “shunned” in her community and that some members of her family had stopped speaking to her.

Mr Colgan said medical reports tendered to the court showed Bergin was “fragile” and “medically compromised”. He also noted that his client had previously entered a guilty plea to the charges and expressed remorse.

In adjourning the case, Judge Johnson said he would make his decision in the case on Friday.