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A DUBLIN FATHER of six who “hoodwinked” an 82-year-old woman with early onset dementia by taking €2,250 for roofing work he never carried out has avoided a jail term.
John Connors (36) of Wyckham Avenue, Dundrum pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to theft of €2,250 at the woman’s home in Carpenterstown, Dublin on 19 February, 2016.
He has three previous convictions for assault and public order.
Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Connors to three years in prison which he suspended in full on strict conditions. He said it was a serious crime as Connors had “hoodwinked and defrauded an elderly lady”.
Judge Nolan accepted that Connors had paid the woman back, had expressed sincere remorse and didn’t have serious previous convictions before he said he didn’t deserve an immediate custodial sentence.
Garda Alan Reddy told Anne-Marie Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that in March 2016 the woman’s son, who attended her home three to four times a week to check on her and carry out any necessary work around the house or gardens, noticed that she had written a cheque for €2,250.
He asked her about it and she said a man had called to the house claiming that she needed to have her roof repaired. She said she handed over the cheque to the “roofing service”.
The son checked the roof and was satisfied that, at most, 10 minutes worth of work had been done to it. He also checked the gardens and other areas to make sure that no other repairs had been carried out.
Gardaí were contacted and Connors was easily identified as he had cashed the cheque in his own bank account.
He was arrested last May and claimed that he had carried out three days of work, repairing the roof, a patio and trimming hedges in the garden. He said the woman had acknowledged that the work needed to be done.
Reddy told the court that he was satisfied that Connors could not have done more than two hours of work on the roof and the other work he had claimed to have done was not done at all.
He confirmed that Connors had since paid the woman back in full.
Anger
Reddy agreed with Kitty Perle BL, defending, that her client met with the victim’s son in the garda station who “rightfully expressed his anger” about what he had done to his mother.
She said Connors paid the money back and assured the man that nothing like that would ever happen again.
Perle said the meeting was a “wake-up” call for her client who now fully understood the seriousness of the offence.
She said he was a married father of six and was the sole breadwinner for the family as his wife was unable to work because of health difficulties.
Counsel asked the court to accept that it was “a serious error in judgement” and handed in references which described Connors as a “trustworthy and reliable man”.
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So no sanction just return the money. So no disincentive to stop this sort of behaviour
Connor’s was “Sorry” ..yeah right ..only Sorry he was caught …what do you actually have to do in Ireland to be sent to Jail ?… our Judges are a Joke ..Gin sodden idiots.
@kevin: The victim should have him charged over a racist attack, she was particularly targeted as a settled person.
Many such case.
Sorry Judge, but you are wrong, wrong, wrong. Will you remember when Mr Connors appears before you the next time.
What if that lady had nobody looking out for her ? He’d have got away with it and continued on ripping elderly people .. it’s sickening that he walked away with it .. hope the tax man goes after him !
If it wasn’t for her pesky kid …
This carry on is a daily occurrence. Only a couple of days ago I was quoted 15k for garden landscaping. When I told him I had another guy coming to give a quote he said “I only work in thousands”.
The next guy quoted 6k and he is known for being extortionate. Got a few more quotes lined up.
But 15k he must have seen my new car in the drive way and though “I’ll get a bomb out of this one.”
@Lily: ah now Lilly. The landscaper has to make a living too. They’re qualified at their jobs if you ask for proof . You couldn’t expect them to do your garden for nothing Cop on.
And where did he get the money from to return it to her????? Hope revenue have a good look at him but won’t hold my breath!
So pay the money back and no prison great little Ireland….
@Derek Moean:
I think you have to kill someone before there is a consideration of jail time. No guarantee mind you.
That judge should be deemed unfit for purpose. Disgusting verdict and a huge insult to the victim.
Why o why can judges not give real custodial sentences for elder abuse cases like this? Wake up Martin.
Miserablr, mean, worthless little man.
Seriously low to be targeting an 82 year old woman.
The Garda are corrupt now we have No law what next
Why bother if every sentence ends up being suspended? It’s a bloody joke
When the F×ck did we become a Country of soft touches. It’s like the protection is there for the criminal, and exscuses made over and over for them.
At least the poor woman got her money back in this instance.
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