Mark Knight sentenced for €58,950 minibus fraud

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Mark Knight was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to three and a half years in prison, with the final 12 months suspended. The proceedings were reported on 13 May 2019.

Knight pleaded guilty to dishonestly inducing six people by deception to pay a total of €58,950 for specific vehicles. The offences took place between September 2009 and July 2011.

One customer received a minibus after paying €10,000, but later saw a vehicle with the same registration and different mileage advertised online. Garda Martina Drew said Knight offered a part refund and suggested the customer keep the vehicle, but the customer insisted on returning it. He never received the full refund Knight had agreed to pay.

Judge Melanie Greally accepted that Knight had €58,505 in court to compensate victims, lent to him by his employer. Knight agreed to pay a further €9,885 within 12 months to a customer, allowing for interest on a loan she took out to buy another vehicle.

The suspended portion of the sentence was subject to strict conditions, including that Knight leave Ireland within seven days of his ultimate release and not return for 10 years. The judge also accepted that he had made admissions, assisted gardaí and lived a law-abiding and productive life after fleeing Ireland.

Knight failed to attend a court hearing in July 2012 and was returned from England on a European Arrest Warrant the month before the report. He had 18 previous convictions. His barrister, Seoirse Ó Dúnlaing, said Knight accepted his conduct was criminal and had used the money to repay other customers or cover personal expenses.