A Westmeath auctioneer who was "one of the main players" in a huge insurance fraud scam has been jailed for 30 months at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Peter Leahy (37) of Old Longford Road, Mullingar, personally got more €82,415 from the scam and was "very close to the main instigator", former Longford garage owner Michael Byrne, who is serving a five-year jail term for his role in the crimes, Judge Yvonne Murphy was told.
Det Garda Liam O'Connor of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation said Leahy "had made the most false claims after Michael Byrne".
He said Leahy was "a man of means" and that he lied continuously when interviewed by gardaí who investigated 90 incidents in which the main method used to defraud insurance companies was showing severely damaged vehicles with false number plates to assessors.
Leahy pleaded guilty to three charges of fraud and false pretences, with two more taken into consideration, arising out of incidents in 1995 and 1996 in which more than IR£92,000 was defrauded from Guardian PMPA and Cornhill Insurance.
Det Gda O'Connor said that, in one case, claims totalling £17,830 were processed for Leahy through Longford solicitor Mr Thomas Madden in the names of two people without their knowledge. This arose out of an alleged skidding and rear-ending accident in Knockmartin on January 26th, 1996.
Det Gda O'Connor said Leahy had also claimed his jeep, valued at £24,000, was stolen from the carpark of the Laurels Pub, Clondalkin, on February 2nd, 1996. A different vehicle was produced to the assessor and the money fraudulently received was lodged in an account in the National Irish Bank in Galway.
Judge Murphy said although the courts respected the right of an arrested person to remain silent, Leahy had lied to gardaí and his guilty plea had also come at the last minute after the prosecution had assembled all its witnesses for the trial.
She said Leahy was a successful 25-year-old businessman with a good lifestyle, owning a home in Ireland and an apartment in Spain, when he became one of the main instigators of the fraud cycle.
Judge Murphy said she had dealt with some of the cases in this matter and was also familiar with others and noted that some of the convicts who got suspended sentences had reimbursed the companies.
She said: "The court is not impressed by the last-minute attempts to offer compensation in this case and as I'm imposing a custodial sentence, I will not accept the £7,000 offered here today."
Judge Murphy jailed Leahy for two years and six months on each of the three guilty plea charges and refused an application by defence counsel, Mr Niall Durnin SC, for leave to appeal sentence.
She also directed that Leahy receive all necessary medical treatment and facilities for a serious illness he suffers.