Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 6871Theft · Co. Kerry

Samantha Cookes sentenced over theft of sofa and two armchairs

Samantha Cookes (36), originally from Gloucester, was convicted in Cork in May 2019 on four fraud and theft charges and given a 14-week suspended sentence. She then lived in Cahersiveen and Kenmare, Co Kerry, until the end of 2022, and a sofa and two armchairs valued at over €5,000 were stolen from a Kenmare property she was renting. She was arrested in Tralee in July 2024 over social welfare fraud of €60,334.35 and was later sentenced to three years for it. On a Tuesday morning in Killarney she pleaded guilty to the theft and was sentenced to a further three months' imprisonment.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced15 Apr
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
A sofa and two armchairs valued at over €5,000 were stolen from a property Cookes was renting in Kenmare, Co Kerry.
Other details
  • Cookes sublet the Kenmare property via Airbnb without permission.
  • Cookes posed as a terminally ill writer named Carrie Jade Williams, won writing awards and secured Arts Council grants totalling €36,250 in 2021 and 2022, though she is not terminally ill.
  • Cookes lived in Ireland for about a decade under multiple aliases while working as a live-in au pair.
Where
Originally from Gloucester, Cookes lived in Cahersiveen and Kenmare, Co Kerry, for three years to the end of 2022.
When
  • Cookes was arrested outside a post office in Tralee, Co Kerry, in July 2024 as part of a social welfare fraud inquiry.
  • In May 2019 Cookes was convicted in Cork on four fraud and theft charges, three of them linked to a bogus 2016 Lapland trip she claimed to be organising while living in south Co Dublin.
Charges
  • Cookes was arrested over social welfare fraud of €60,334.35.
  • Cookes pleaded guilty to the theft of the sofa and two armchairs.
Sentence
  • Cookes received a 14-week suspended sentence for the 2019 Cork conviction.
  • Cookes was sentenced to three years for the social welfare fraud in March 2025.
  • Cookes was sentenced to a further three months' imprisonment for the theft.
Investigation
Cookes was under Garda investigation after new allegations were made about her time in Co Kerry, as reported weeks before her court appearance.
In court
On a Tuesday morning, Cookes was brought before the courts in Killarney, Co Kerry, from Limerick Prison, where she is serving a sentence for the €60,000 social welfare fraud.
20 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatA sofa and two armchairs valued at over €5,000 were stolen from a property in Kenmare. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatShe was selling sensory toys for children with special needs via a website. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThree of the 2019 charges related to a bogus trip to Lapland she claimed to be organising in 2016 while living in south Co Dublin. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereShe lived in Cahersiveen and Kenmare, Co Kerry, for three years to the end of 2022. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenShe was arrested outside a post office in Tralee in July for social welfare fraud of €60,334.35. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenIn May 2019 she was convicted in Cork on four fraud and theft charges. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeShe pleaded guilty to the theft charge. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtCookes was brought before the courts in Killarney, Co Kerry, on Tuesday morning. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceShe was sentenced to a further three months' imprisonment. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceShe was sentenced to three years for the social welfare fraud last month. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceA 14-week suspended sentence was imposed for the 2019 Cork conviction. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe is currently serving a prison sentence for a €60,000 social welfare fraud. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe was taken from Limerick Prison to court. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe is originally from Gloucester. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe was arrested in Tralee as part of the social welfare inquiry. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe claimed online she was making the toys with a 3D printer, but no toys were ever delivered. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe sublet the property in Kenmare via Airbnb without permission. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe posed as a terminally ill writer named Carrie Jade Williams and won awards for her writing. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe secured Arts Council grants in 2021 and 2022 totalling €36,250. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherShe is not terminally ill. (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 15 Apr2025
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, first report
    Serial fraudster Samantha Cookes convicted over theft of sofa and two armchairs

    Reports the conviction and sentencing for the theft, and provides extensive background on Cookes's serial fraud history including a €60,334 social welfare fraud, Arts Council grants totalling €36,250 under a fake identity, a 2019 Cork conviction for fraud and theft, and a 2011 fraud conviction in Britain.

    convicted, Samantha Cookes, 36, female, named, non-irish (judged from name)Samantha Cookes