Man tried to extort money from woman after falsely claiming she had hit his car in car park
The Drogheda IndependentA 30-year-old man who tried to extort money from a lone woman by pretending she struck his car has been sent to prison for 12 months.
Samuel Novac, Radharc An Bhrí, Bree, Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan had “preyed upon” his victim, Judge Dara Hayes said at a circuit court sentence hearing.
The incident occurred at a carpark in Dundalk and following an interaction at the scene which lasted 30 minutes, the defendant sent a solicitor’s letter.
He pleaded guilty to demanding money with menaces at Marshes Shopping Centre, Dundalk, on June 7, 2019.
Sgt Leonard Clarke said that at around 3pm the woman parked outside Dunnes Stores beside a trolley bay ahead of a hair appointment in Peter Mark.
On getting out she was confronted by Mr Novac who called and beckoned to her. He appeared angry.
His car, a silver Mercedes, was parked nearby. He accused her of hitting the back of it and indicated a mark on the bumper.
He demanded €200 telling the woman that she would be in big trouble, and that she could have caused serious injury. He pointed to a child smiling in the back of the car.
Sgt Clarke continued that the woman knew she hadn’t hit the vehicle, and when she asked the man where he got the €200 figure from, the defendant threatened to contact gardaí.
The woman told him to go ahead. She rang the hairdressers to say that she would be late.
She also rang her husband, and Mr Novac spoke to him.
The following January she received a letter from a solicitor representing the accused, alleging that she was at fault for an accident.
The court heard that the incident lasted about half an hour. The victim said that she was in fear. She appeared quite shaken and upset.
She declined to make a Victim Impact Statement.
The defendant was interviewed by gardaí on September 25, 2021, when he disputed the lady’s account.
A Romanian national who has spent most of his life in Ireland, he had the assistance of an interpreter in court.
He has no previous convictions, nor had he an employment record at the time. He is married and has three children.
Defence counsel said that Mr Novac is not working. He had instructed to apologise. It was an unusual case.
Judge Hayes said the victim had been preyed upon while on her own. The defendant picked on an innocent woman going about her business and maintained the deception by sending a solicitor’s letter.
A sentence of two years and three months was imposed, the final 15 months suspended.