Courts / Dublin / Report

Elderly woman defrauded out of €30k in fake roof works scam

Summary

Patrick O'Brien, aged 39, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for defrauding a 72‑year‑old woman of €30,590. Between January and March 2019, O'Brien and two accomplices posed as roofers, claiming to fix the victim's roof, chimney and install solar panels. They persuaded her to allow them onto her roof, then showed her a photograph of birds nesting in a roof to convince her that work was needed. The woman withdrew €2,500 from her bank and repeatedly gave money to O'Brien, who acted as a money collector. The fraud ended when a bank employee questioned the withdrawals and the victim was advised not to give further money. O'Brien was identified on CCTV and arrested in May 2020. He has over 70 prior convictions and is currently serving a sentence for a similar deception offence. Patrick O'Brien pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Elderly woman defrauded out of €30k in fake roof works scam. Charges or matters: four counts of deception at various locations in Dublin in February 2019. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• February 2019 Other
• March 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
• January 2019 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 2020 Incident
• 2022-07-22 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report