Three People Convicted Of Benefit Fraud

Three people have been convicted for claiming benefits they were not entitled to at Craigavon Magistrates' Court.

Michael Nugent claimed Jobseeker's Allowance totalling £3,090 while failing to declare employment. He was given a two month prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

Nicola McCrory claimed Income Support and Carer's Allowance totalling £2,529 while failing to declare employment. She was given a two month prison sentence suspended for 12 months

Kevin Toland claimed Jobseeker's Allowance totalling £270 while failing to declare employment. He was fined £500 and ordered to pay an offenders levy of £15.

All are also required to repay any outstanding money wrongfully obtained to the Department for Communities.

£350,000 Extension To Park And Ride Facility To Open In L'Derry

A £350,000 extension to the Park and Ride/Park and Share carpark adjacent to the Castledawson Roundabout, Co L'Derry, is to open on Monday, 10 April.

The extension includes an additional 192 car parking spaces, as well as ten disabled spaces, which will be made available for commuters and will bring the total number of available spaces to 270.

It will also be served by a regular bus service operating along the main A6 and offers commuters an attractive alternative to using the private car for their journey between Belfast and the North West.

Sinn Féin MLA Ian Milne welcomed the news.

He said: "The Park and Ride facility at the Castledawon Roundabout has proved to be a vital service to the people of Magherafelt and indeed the wider community offering them an alternative to using their own cars for their journey between Belfast and the North West."

Alliance Slams 'Dehumanising' Comments Aimed At Suzanne Wylie

Alliance Councillor Emmet McDonough Brown has hit out at the 'sexist and dehumanising' comments aimed at Belfast City Chief Executive Suzanne Wylie on Monday, 03 April.

During a debate over cycling policy, a series of inappropriate comments from Councillor Graham Craig targeted Belfast City Council's highest employee, with one occasion seeing him describe how 'his pace quickened' when he saw Ms Wylie on her bike.

"Suzanne Wylie is a highly capable, skilled chief executive and civic leader; she is responsible for managing a large and complex organisation and delivering an ambitious agenda for the city. It was nothing short of disgraceful that she was treated in such a way tonight. She should not have had to sit in the chamber tonight and hear herself described as a source of pleasure for some, without being able to fight back. I was appalled," he said.

"Suzanne is excellent at her job, something Graham Craig may have failed to notice while he has been busy focusing on her appearance. In 2017, as ever, what a woman looks like has no bearing on her professional performance. This would never have happened to a man in her position.

"While Graham Craig may have thought this was all a big joke - a laughing matter - it says more about his regressive attitude to women, who he obviously prefers to consider on aesthetic rather than professional grounds."

(CD/LM)