A DOLE fraudster who claimed social welfare while working as a civilian employee at garda headquarters has been spared jail and a criminal record. Denis Curran (56) was paid a total of €2,466 after making false declarations to claim benefits 11 times, a court heard. Judge Bryan Smyth applied the Probation Act, leaving him without a recorded conviction after hearing the money had since been paid back in full. Curran, of Dunard Avenue, Dublin 7, pleaded guilty to 11 counts of theft and two charges under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act, on dates in 2019. The accused had entered his plea earlier this year and the case came back before Dublin District Court for sentencing.