A West Cork farmer who pleaded guilty to conspiring to make a fraudulent compensation claim has told a court the fraud was a "dream scheme that went totally wrong".
In his evidence at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, James Sutton of Clonakilty, Co Cork, said he had paid his debt to society and wanted to get on with his life.
Sutton is a prosecution witness at the trial of Andrew and Bryan Wilson, of Bandon and Dunmanway, Co Cork who have denied attempting to make a fraudulent BSE compensation claim in 1996.
Mr Blaise O'Carroll SC, defending, said that Sutton had a tendency to portray himself as a "guinea pig" who was pressured into becoming involved in the fraud by the defendants.
Sutton previously admitted to lying to garda∅ in 1993 about a tractor being stolen from his farm.
The farmer told garda∅ the tractor was worth £36,000 but he bought it for just £20,000 plus VAT.
Mr O'Carroll said Sutton had attempted to defraud an insurance company after he reported the tractor missing from his farm.
Sutton denied suggestions that he had contaminated a herd of cattle in 1994 in order to make a bogus TB compensation claim from the Department of Agriculture.
Mr O'Carroll said it was difficult to expect people to believe that the defendants in the case were responsible for the BSE fraud when Sutton had come up with previous schemes on his own.
"You had the will and the criminal mind to scam the General Accident insurance company. A year later you were up to the same game with the Department of Agriculture."
Sutton was also questioned about compensation claims for fires on his farm including damage caused to a harvester and a shed.
Sutton denied making the false claim on his own, saying the Wilsons had procured the infected animal which was used to make the bogus compensation claim.
The trial continues.