Men sentenced for €52,000 scam against farmer

A FARMER was conned out of €52,000 by four men who promised to renovate his house after one of them pretended to be a matchmaker and suggested that he could get a woman to move in and act as a housekeeper for him.

Judge Patrick Moran described the scam perpetrated by Michael O’Brien snr (53), of Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, Denis Casey (41), of Arbutus Grove, Killarney, and twin sons Bill O’Brien, Fairhill, Cork, and Michael O’Brien jnr (24), of Bruach na hAbhainn, Killarney, as “a mean and nasty trick” on Denis Slyne (62).

Det Garda Jim Fitzgerald of Bandon station described Casey and O’Brien snr as the masterminds.

Both were jailed for two years. Judge Moran imposed two-year suspended sentences on O’Brien’s sons, Bill and Michael for their part.

In 2003, Casey painted some sheds for Mr Slyne, who lived alone at his small farm at Innishannon, Co Cork.

He returned in subsequent years to repaint the sheds and was paid a total of €7,400.

In 2005, Casey told Mr Slyne that he would enter his name in a draw. The next year O’Brien snr arrived with a bed which he said Mr Slyne had won in the draw but claimed he had damaged his car coming up the drive and asked for €900 to get it repaired.

Casey told Mr Slyne he did some matchmaking and suggested that Mr Slyne should get himself a wife to cook for him and keep house.

Casey told Mr Slyne there was a woman in a witness protection programme who had witnessed a murder in Killarney and she would be happy to live with him on the quiet farm in west Cork but that he would have to renovate the house before she would move in.

Some time later, Mr Slyne was introduced to the woman in Macroom but she told him her car had broken down and she asked for €2,000 to repair it.

Mr Slyne gave her the money to fix her car but he never saw her again.

Mr Slyne paid more than €52,000 – €35,000 from savings and €17,000 which he borrowed – with Casey getting €14,000 and the three O’Briens getting about €9,000 each.

The court heard that Casey had paid €4,000 in compensation to Mr Slyne while the three O’Briens had between them paid over €25,000 in compensation.

Judge Moran praised Mr Slyne for having the strength to report the matter to gardaí. He paid tribute to gardaí for “their usual diligence” in successfully investigating the matter.