£1.9m lottery winner is a pension cheat
AMAN who won £1.9m on the Lottery conned taxpayers out of nearly £80,000 in pension credit by failing to declare his windfall.
Patrick Ronan, 74, of Beverley Close, Southport, won the jackpot on the National Lottery.
But he did not reveal this fact when applying for pension credit on March 8, 2005, leading to a £79,803 overpayment.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Ronan was legally required to disclose any income or savings in excess of £16,000.
Yet he neglected to mention on an application form that he exceeded this limit – by more than £1.8m.
Ronan, previously of Kingsley Road, Frodsham, claimed the money between March 21, 2005, and February 21 last year.
The pensioner, with short grey hair and wearing a black coat in court, admitted making a dishonest representation for obtaining benefit.
Geoffrey Lowe, defending, said that the case involved “somewhat unusual circumstances” and his client had since been battling cancer.
He said: “It’s clear from a report and, indeed, it seems from the appearance of Mr Ronan, that he has, in fact, been very seriously ill.
“The primary problem is cancer was diagnosed and a rather drastic operation was performed – the evidence you can see on Mr Ronan’s face – which resulted in a significant loss of his jaw.
“Also, he has to be fed by a tube as a result of the loss of capacity from the illness itself, or the treatment.”
Mr Lowe said doctors had then booked Ronan in for an MRI scan after a routine check-up had revealed something requiring “further investigation”.
He said: ”Today would have been the date by which there would have been a consultation with the defendant, in relation to the findings of that scan.
“Unfortunately, those findings have not been made known to the consultant oncologist.
“It has not been possible for him to consider the situation, the prog- nosis and anything arising out of that.”
The lawyer said that what was discovered could have a “significant impact” on sentencing and requested an adjournment.
Mr Lowe said that it was hoped the results of the scan and a medical report would be provided to the court by May 31.
The judge, Recorder Rowena Goode, agreed to adjourn sentencing until June 16 and remanded Ronan on unconditional bail.