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'Easy money': pedestrian avoids jail for false bus collision claim

Summary

David Gregan, 43, was sentenced to 150 hours of community service instead of 18 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty to making a false statement to a solicitor. In 2017 he claimed he had been injured in a collision between a bus and a car in Dublin city centre, alleging soft‑tissue injuries to his shoulders. The incident involved Dublin Bus and a car registered to Trinity College. An anti‑fraud investigator reviewed CCTV footage and found Gregan, though on the footpath, was not close enough to be struck by the vehicles. He withdrew the claim in 2018 and no payment was made, but the parties incurred €9,000 in legal fees. Gregan has no prior convictions, has worked in security for 25 years, and has a history of mental‑health difficulties. Judge Martin Nolan noted that Gregan had "succumbed to the temptation of easy money" and therefore did not impose a custodial sentence.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Easy money': pedestrian avoids jail for false bus collision claim. Charges or matters: one count of making a false statement to a solicitor within the State on October 20, 2017. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• October 20, 2017 Incident
• 2023-06-26 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Fraud Stage Sentence

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Read the original CNI report