In a case that has sparked debate in Ireland, a woman continued to collect her dead mother’s pension for three years, claiming it was a way to keep her memory alive. The incident came to light in County Meath, where authorities recently discovered that pension payments intended for an elderly woman- who had died years earlier- were still being withdrawn.
According to the Irish Mirror, 56-year-old Catherine Byrne, the woman’s daughter, never registered her mother’s death or informed the Department of Social Welfare, allowing the payments to continue unnoticed for over 36 months.
The case was eventually brought before the Dundalk Circuit Court, where Catherine admitted to withdrawing the money but insisted it was not used for personal luxury. Instead, she claimed the funds were spent on flowers for her mother’s grave, calling it her way of keeping her mother “alive”.
Despite the emotional explanation, the court ruled the act as serious welfare fraud. Catherine was sentenced to 240 hours of community service and ordered to repay the funds in weekly instalments of 12,000 Euros to the Department of Social Welfare. The total amount taken was not disclosed, but officials said a full recovery would be pursued.
The unusual case has raised concerns over gaps in death registration systems and the potential for similar oversights in public welfare payments.
