Man in court in Castlebar for 'mean, sneaky' fraud
The defendant pleaded guilty to the offence.
A Cork man who posed as a seller on the well-known online platform Done Deal and pocketed payment for a phone that never existed has received a six-month suspended prison sentence at Castlebar District Court.
Adam Ryan, with an address at 14 James Street, Mitchelstown, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud arising from an incident in October 2022 when he appeared before Judge Vincent Deane.
Gda Sgt Fiona Farrell told the court that on October 14, 2022, a man contacted Gardaí to report that he had been the victim of an online fraud. The victim believed he was purchasing a phone through a legitimate Done Deal advertisement and was given an Eircode to meet the seller.
When he travelled to the location, the person at the address had no knowledge of the advertisement or any sale. The victim had already paid for the phone via Revolut and did not get refunded.
Defence solicitor Gary Mulchrone told Judge Deane that Ryan was struggling with addiction issues at the time and had seen an opportunity to make money. He said Ryan had since attended Cluan Mhuire addiction treatment centre in Limerick in April, had progressed to aftercare, and was attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at lunchtime on the day of the court hearing.
Mulchrone described the defendant as very young and said he was dedicated to his recovery from addiction. Ryan's solicitor in Cork had furnished money to the Gardaí to be passed on to the victim as compensation for the fraud.
Judge Deane described the offence as "a mean, thought-out and sneaky act", but said he was balancing that against the guilty plea and the fact that restitution had been made.
Judge Deane imposed a six-month prison sentence, which he agreed to suspend on condition there are no further offences in the next two years.
- Published as part of the Courts Reporting Scheme.
