A letting agent who swindled 10 landlords out of more than £18,000 in rent he collected from their tenants has received a three-year suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Raymond Walsh (35), Alden Drive, Raheny, also allegedly threatened to kill the father of one of the landlords and was found to have illegally held ammunition in his home.
He pleaded guilty to 71 counts of fraudulent conversion, unlawful possession of ammunition and criminal damage on dates between 1997 and 1999. Sentence had previously been adjourned twice to allow Walsh to undergo probation and psychiatric assessments.
Det Garda John Walsh told the court in July that the defendant controlled three letting companies, City Wide Properties, Phibsborough Property Locators and Abbeywin Ltd.
He said one landlord, Mr Patrick Kavanagh, rang Walsh and asked for £912 owed to him. Walsh allegedly replied: "I have been having a strange dream about a little old man being shot dead in an armed robbery at a shop in Harcourt Road."
Det Garda Walsh said this was a reference to Mr Kavanagh's father, who had a shop on Harcourt Road. Walsh's own landlord changed the locks on his flat after he stopped paying rent. However, Walsh drilled a hole through the lock and continued to live in the flat.
Det Garda Walsh said Walsh's son was seriously ill when he committed the offences which may have been a contributing factor to his behaviour. He was now willing to pay back the money to the landlords. He added that Walsh had since set up a security alarm company and was doing reasonably well.
Judge Elizabeth Dunne took into account the fact that Walsh had acknowledged his wrongdoing and had expressed his regret. "I want to give the victims an opportunity to receive some compensation and that can only be done if Raymond Walsh stays in the community," she said.