A serial conman who pretended he was making a documentary on sick youngsters for RTÉ earlier than conning an electronics firm out of €13,000 has been sentenced to fifteen months in jail.
atrick Sheedy (53) additionally conned an academic provides firm out of just below €10,000 by pretending to be from the Division of Training, Dublin Circuit Legal Courtroom heard.
Decide Martin Nolan mentioned he was unsure Sheedy would cease conning individuals when he bought out of jail, however mentioned he couldn’t lock him up eternally.
Sheedy has 97 earlier convictions, of which about 70 are for fraud offences, the courtroom heard.
He’s already serving a sentence imposed at Limerick Circuit Courtroom in October 2020 and he was on bail for these offences when he carried out the crimes earlier than courtroom right this moment.
Sheedy, of Cliona Park, Moyross, Co Limerick, pleaded responsible to 6 counts of deception at an tackle in Dublin on dates between January and March 2020.
He additionally pleaded responsible to 4 counts of theft at places in Dublin between August and September 2020.
Decide Nolan mentioned Sheedy had a capability to make the most of the trusting nature of different events and had been doing it for fairly a very long time.
“He’s clever and persuasive. It appears he has the conman’s means,” the decide mentioned.
“To date, he has been extremely profitable in deceiving individuals. The query is, can he change his methods? He cons individuals, can he cease?”
The decide mentioned he wasn’t certain that Sheedy wouldn’t proceed to con individuals after he will get out of jail.
“Jurisprudence on this nation doesn’t recognise preventative detention. I can not put him in jail for the remainder of his life on the idea that I feel he’s going to be a conman eternally,” he mentioned.
He famous that Sheedy’s attorneys have advised the courtroom he has a playing habit and that he’s doing nicely in jail and making use of the companies offered to prisoners.
The decide imposed concurrent jail phrases of 15 months that are to run consecutive to the termination of the sentence he’s at present serving.
Sergeant Colin Sullivan advised the courtroom that Sheedy contacted an electronics firm in January 2020 and advised them he was a documentary creator who had been commissioned to make a documentary on sick youngsters for RTÉ. He gave them a pretend identify.
Sheedy mentioned one of many youngsters had a complicated mind damage on account of being born untimely and that she required using an iPad to assist her in her day-to-day actions.
He mentioned he would interview the managing director as a part of the documentary. The electronics firm agreed to produce Sheedy with an iPad for this use.
Sheedy additionally positioned an order for 15 cell phones with a worth of €12,460. When he didn’t pay, the corporate contacted RTÉ and found no such documentary had been commissioned and Sheedy had not been contracted by them
Between the telephones and the iPad, the corporate was at a lack of €13,539, the courtroom heard.
Just a few months later, Sheedy contacted an academic provides firm pretending he was from the Division of Training. He positioned an order for 12 cell phones which was fulfilled however by no means paid for. The corporate was at a lack of €9,801, the courtroom heard.
Across the identical time, Sheedy contacted a cell phone firm pretending he labored for BMW. He ordered 5 iPhones with a worth of €4,200 and by no means paid for them.
Not one of the firms concerned recovered any cash, with Sheedy promoting the digital items for money, the courtroom heard.
Sgt Sullivan mentioned Sheedy lived along with his aged mom and had a playing habit.
