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Money returned to elderly woman who was conned out of savings

Four men, posing as roof repair men, told Kathleen Byrne she needed repair work done on her roof.

AN ELDERLY woman who was conned into giving over €4,000 to men who said she needed urgent roof repairs done has had all the money returned to her.

Four men, posing as roof repair men, told Kathleen Byrne, aged 83, that she needed much needed work on her roof.

Savings

The men drove her to the local post office where she withdrew money from her savings, before the men fled with the cash.

Her story was highlighted on RTÉ’s Liveline with Joe Duffy.

Today, gardaí interviewed three men in relation to the stolen money and confirmed that all the cash had since been returned to Ms Byrne. No arrests have been made and a file has been sent to the DPP.

The gardaí said their message is to be vigilant towards those calling to homes to carry out work, stating advice can be found on their website Garda.ie.

Read: Burglars hold knife to 15-month-old baby before stealing cash and jewellery>

Read: The radio figures are out: we spend 4 hours a day tuning in but what are we listening to?>

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65 Comments
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    Mute Clancy Wiggum
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:42 PM

    Great news. It has made my day. Well done to the community who were so supportive of this lady and to the Gardai.

    928
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    Mute Boo!-Fight the Board
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:47 PM

    No arrests???? Wtf.

    559
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    Mute Joe
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:03 PM

    3 questioned and file sent to dpp etc etc.

    262
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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:07 PM

    …who either won’t charge them or will send them to Judge Carney for a light slap and then be let loose once more on the unsuspecting public.

    305
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    Mute neimad
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:07 PM

    The good old DPP. Must have a stack of files that would rival the tallest building on earth. Probably already have a few yards worth for that cowardly filth.

    224
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    Mute Tom Collins
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:36 PM

    Delighted! My blood boiled watching that poor woman last night

    167
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    Mute Sean Mac Diarmada
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:00 PM

    “No arrests???? Wtf.”
    Propaganda shit.Nothing more.
    If only every robbery in the country was on the Joe Duffy Show.
    Maybe we would all get our money back.!!

    59
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    Mute Mick Hannigan
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    Nov 7th 2014, 12:13 AM

    Great news for the poor lady, them feckers who done that should get a publicly flogging and then locked up for 4000 days, a day for every euro

    96
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    Mute Patrick
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    Nov 7th 2014, 12:26 AM

    Awesome!

    24
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    Mute Hugh Cavanagh
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:54 PM

    I watched video footage on the Gardai under siege in Coolock and Santry yesterday and heard the lowest form of life hurl disgusting and vile comments at Gardai who were carrying out their duty in a seriously professional manner without flinching and without reacting to the worst provocation.
    At the very least they should have arrested and charged a large number of this sinister low life element for assault and behaviour resulting in a breach of the peace.
    Tonight we hear the great news of the recovery of a sum of money that more low life have conned out of a genteel elderly lady who had done nothing wrong in her entire life but make this one mistake. The Gardai have again been magnificent!
    Well done to them all.

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:05 PM

    Well said Hugh, great job done by Gardai and neighbours.

    269
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    Mute Dermot English
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:19 PM

    Well said Hugh.. Agree 100%

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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:20 PM

    I think (and might get shot for saying it around here but I don’t care) some of the water protestors genuinely are confused about what the constitution allows you to do.
    I see these videos where they are pulling water meters out of the ground, shoving workers and pelting cops and screaming ”free speech!!!!” when the police react….it’s free speech for you to stand there, yell, wave a sign. It’s not free speech when you shove someone around, unwanted physical contact is assault.

    They shove the Guards then act as if they are these jackbooted thugs for reacting and arresting them, you wanna see what a real thuggish police force is take a trip to New York or Fergason, see how you like being randomly shoved against the wall and searched without probable cause by the former and shot despite being unarmed by the latter, then you’ll think back to the Irish cops as utter angels.

    233
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    Mute Sean Mac Diarmada
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:54 PM

    Throll.

    9
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    Mute john Gallagher
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:20 PM

    Well said Hugh. And well done to the Gardai on this one

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    Mute Junior
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:50 PM

    Great work by Gardaí. Important to remember they provide an outstanding service regardless of negative press.

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    Mute Ablitive
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:19 PM

    Its the slanderous readers comments rather than the negative press.

    67
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    Mute Martin Hayes
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:52 PM

    Surely that should be libelous and it can only libelous if it isn’t true.

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    Mute Ronan O Siochain
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    Nov 7th 2014, 1:27 AM

    Fantastic news…well done to the Gardai….people who posted the negative comments above are gob**ites. PS. the difference between Slander and Libel is that the former is the spoken word and the latter is the written word….nothing to do with the truth. But you are correct that the previous entry should strictly refer to Libel and not Slander.

    41
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    Mute Tom Red
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:43 PM

    If you see a white van pulling up outside your house,
    Get your shotgun out …
    Not today mate Keep driving …

    362
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    Mute conor hickey
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:56 PM

    Put a sign up:
    WARNING Trespassers will be shot.
    Those trying to escape will be shot again.

    166
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    Mute Ronan Sexton
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    Nov 7th 2014, 7:49 AM

    All the better. At least you’re covered with the sign.

    16
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    Mute mcgoo
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:47 PM

    I’d like to do a job on their house for them. With my old bud Maguire and his friend Patterson.

    149
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    Mute Ciaran O Shea
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:02 PM

    i can’t wait for Joe Duffy tomorrow. It was great when he lost the plot the other day!!!!

    139
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    Mute Joe
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:15 PM

    Probably say little as it’s sub judice

    7
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    Mute Superfriends
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:03 PM

    It’s their “culture”.

    136
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    Mute Martin Smith
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:38 PM

    No doubt pavee point will be telling us that this is an isolated incident

    115
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    Mute Sean Mac Diarmada
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:57 PM

    the recovery of the money is also an isolated incident.
    Nevertheless RTE have been heralding it all evening on their web site.
    Goebbels never died.
    Heil RTE.!

    20
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    Mute Paddy Hannigan
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:49 PM

    Ya gotta love Pavee Point though. Remember them complaining when a county council were taking their time removing stolen asbestos laden material from a halting site. You couldn’t make that sh*t up.Comedy gold.

    91
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    Mute Joan Murphy
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:23 PM

    Fantastic news , on a side note , I wonder if there was anything more the post office could’ve done ? Did the men walk into the post office with her ? Maybe a few simple questions could have been asked by post office staff to see if she was OK ?

    89
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    Mute Andrea Rock Massey
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:49 PM

    If she told the staff that she had to have her roof repaired, it would sound reasonable no?

    42
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    Mute Joan Murphy
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:19 PM

    Andrea , no not really…

    16
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    Mute Mary Lyons
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:41 PM

    The point is Joan that the post office would have to make the difficult decision to question the woman as to why she wanted to withdraw her own money. Could end up in an embarrassing situation if she was withdrawing to pay for a legitimate job. But I can see where you are coming from
    Awful to think there were 4 of them and not one of them had a conscience!

    43
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    Mute Joan Murphy
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    Nov 7th 2014, 12:24 AM

    Mary , I know what you are saying alright , I don’t blame the post office staff at all , I just feel that maybe if they gently asked her if everything was OK then maybe the poor lady may have opened up a bit . who knows ? But I am glad she has her money back and they didn’t harm her , physically .

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    Mute Mary Lyons
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    Nov 7th 2014, 1:24 AM

    Me too!

    6
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    Mute Richard Mccarthy
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:12 PM

    Why does nearly every arrest end with “they were released without charge and a file has been sent to the DPP,

    59
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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:14 PM

    Some crimes the police can charge you themselves, some they have to get the DPP. Some crimes they can arrest you without warrant, sometimes they need one, sometimes (Rare) they can do a search/enter a house without warrant, sometimes they need one.
    It depends on the circumstances and the statute under which the crime comes.

    Often the DPP won’t prosecute because they think there is not enough evidence of guilt, sometimes because they don’t think there can be a conviction.

    64
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    Mute malcolm mccarthy
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:16 PM

    she should tell them to “keep the money and buy a headstone with it boss”

    59
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    Mute dave muller
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:13 PM

    Did Pavee point pay up?

    57
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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Nov 6th 2014, 9:59 PM

    If only Goldman Sachs, CItigroup, HSBC, Barclys etc etc were held to the same standard and had to repay their massive backdoor bailouts and the money their brokers conned out of middle class yuppies with things like the subprime mortgage scam….

    48
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    Mute Ryan Carroll
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    Nov 6th 2014, 11:23 PM

    They stole 4,000 and hurt one person. Those companies stole 4-5trillion and hurt millions of people.

    17
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    Mute Mary Lyons
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    Nov 7th 2014, 12:39 AM

    What of that woman was your Grandmother??? How would you feel???

    22
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    Mute stephen kavanagh
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:06 PM

    Youre totally confusing crime with legitimate protest, hugh

    22
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    Mute Joan Murphy
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    Nov 6th 2014, 10:19 PM

    No he isn’t

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    Mute Paul Moran
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    Nov 7th 2014, 12:31 AM

    Ethnic minority.

    19
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    Mute Vic
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    Nov 7th 2014, 8:16 AM

    Thank god for that, I was genuinely upset seeing that story on the news. The shot of her peeking out of her window with her cat got me right in the feels. How someone could steal from an elderly woman is unthinkable, there are some sinister heartless people out there.

    16
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    Mute Terry O'Dowd
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    Nov 7th 2014, 12:17 AM

    Where does it say that travelers were involved?

    I know a few cowboys who are not travelers, but do the same crap all the time.

    14
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    Mute gerry o donell
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    Nov 7th 2014, 8:30 AM

    good man terry, presumably you have reported these cowboys to the gardai

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    Mute Michael Nyland
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    Nov 7th 2014, 12:03 AM

    Their, not there.

    13
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    Mute gerry o donell
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    Nov 7th 2014, 9:30 AM

    what are you talking about

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    Mute gerry o donell
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    Nov 7th 2014, 8:29 AM

    the good news is if you want to get a positive response from the gardai , don’t ring them that’s a waste of time, no ring rte.

    8
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    Mute wiselad
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    Nov 7th 2014, 9:41 AM

    Nackers

    7
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    Mute gerry o donell
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    Nov 7th 2014, 8:28 AM

    well thanks to the media we know where she lives, we know she has a couple of grand, we know shes a soft touch, we know there is no reprecussions. sure there will be a queue of transits outside her house fixing the roof, doing a bit of tarmacking, washing the window cleaning the gutters.

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    Mute Darragh Brennan
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    Nov 7th 2014, 5:39 PM

    ISIS style punishment required for all these ….s

    2
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    Mute Cèith O Sirideain
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    Nov 7th 2014, 10:54 AM

    Fraud is a deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain (adjectival form fraudulent; to defraud is the verb).

    No Arrests ?? To busy arresting water protesters…

    2
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