Courts / Dublin / Report

Man helped con "vulnerable" woman out of €90k life savings

Summary

Michael O'Brien, aged 24, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four counts of deception for taking €90,000 from a vulnerable woman who was a psychiatric ward outpatient and a carer for her 95‑year‑old mother. The woman, who had only €93 left in her bank account, was persuaded by O'Brien to pay for driveway re‑paving (€7,500) and house painting (€1,500) that were never completed. He then posed as an accountant and convinced her to pay €5,000 instalments for a promised €76,000 cheque. She withdrew €5,000 from two accounts on several occasions, leaving her with €93. Gardaí arrested O'Brien when he met the woman in St James's Hospital carpark. He claimed he was working for a "bossman" and owed €4,000 to him, but the prosecution accepted his plea as representing ten counts with a culpability of €20,000.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Man helped con "vulnerable" woman out of €90k life savings. Charges or matters: four sample charges of deception on dates between October 2015 and November 2015. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• October 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
• November 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
• December 2015 Incident
• March 24 Adjournment
• 2017-03-13 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report