This article is from page 14 of the 2014-02-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
AN ENGLISH conman who duped businesses on a € 1,300 “nationwide tour” of hotels in Ireland has received a 12-month prison sentence.
David Brown (57) was arrested by gardaí in Clare last week after failing to pay for food and alcohol at the Ravine Hotel, Lisdoonvarna, on February 11.
It came after gardaí issued a nationwide alert for Mr Brown’s arrest after he committed a string of similar offences at hotels around the country between January 25 and February 12.
He appeared before Ennis District Court on Thursday.
Mr Brown, with an address at Mallard Road, Scunthorpe, England, pleaded guilty to six changes of dishonestly by deception availing of food, accommodation and beverages.
The charges relate to Mr Brown’s stay at Creevy Pier Hotel, Ballyshan- non, Donegal, where he accrued a bill of € 333 between February 4 and 6; his stay at Lismore House, Lismore, Waterford, between January 25 and 27 where the bill came to € 382 and the Templemore Arms Hotel, Templemore, between February 1 and 3 where the bill came to € 271.
He also admitted offences at Dunning’s, The Octagon, Westport, between February 7 and 8 (€ 65) and Murphy’s Law, Barrack Street, Athlone, between February 3 and 4 (€ 150).
Judge Patrick Durcan enquired what type of food and drink Mr Brown availed of during his stays at the hotels. Inspector Tom Kennedy replied that the accused was “pretty accomplished at entertaining himself”.
Garda Shane Kavanagh of Ennistymon Garda Station said he arrested Mr Brown in the early hours of February 12 after the accused failed to pay for drink and food worth € 81 at the Ravine Hotel, Lisdoonvarna.
Garda Kavanagh told the court Mr Brown would typically tell hoteliers he was over from England to do maintenance work on telegraph poles. He would claim his colleagues were arriving in a few days and they would pay the bill. “He would book in on a Friday but by Monday morning he’d be gone,” added Garda Kavanagh.
The court heard Mr Brown travelled across the country by hitch hiking and getting lifts from fellow ‘guests’.
Insp Kennedy said Mr Brown has 50 previous convictions, many for deception offences, and was only released from prison in January.
Defence solicitor Tara Godfrey said her client is divorced and previously worked as an unskilled labourer.
She said Mr Brown was homeless when he was released from prison and committed the offences as a means of surviving.
She said her client had mainly drank pints of lager and eaten burg- ers and pies during his time at the hotels. “The most extravagant thing he had was a Jack Daniels whiskey,” she added.
She asked the court to consider deporting Mr Brown back to the United Kingdom.
Judge Patrick Durcan said this was an “unusual case” one where like his countrymen did in the past, Mr Brown commenced his journey through Ireland in Waterford.
He said Mr Brown had perpetrated a “reign of commercial tyranny” against tourism businesses, many of whom are based in coastal communities devastated by recent storms.
“His spree, his nationwide tour, cost € 1,322,” added Judge Durcan.
“The only order I can make is one that forces the Irish people to pay € 1,700 a week to accommodate him further,” he said.
He imposed sentences totalling 12 months but suspended the final eight months on condition Mr Brown enter a bond to be of good behaviour. TWOmen have appeared in court charged in connection with an alleged burglary in the Corrovorrin area of Ennis. Patrick Ballard (28) and Michael Clune (28) are alleged to have entered 2 Corrovorrin,Tulla Road, Ennis as trespassers and attempted to commit theft therein.The charge relates to an alleged break in on December 11, 2013. Mr Ballard, with an address at Lifford Lodge, Lifford Road, Ennis and Mr Clune with an address at BridgeviewCourt, Ennis, both appeared before Ennis District Court onWednesday. The court heard the DPP has directed summary disposal of the cases in the district court. Legal aid was approved for solicitor Tara Godfrey. Ms Godfrey said she required time to seek disclosure fromthe State. The cases were adjourned to April 2 for the accused to enter pleas or to fix a date for hearing. A POLISH man who admits being in an intoxicated state at Ennis Cathedral will carry our volountary work in the town, a court has heard. Last November, Judge Patrick Durcan said he wanted Tomasz Hajduk (43) to get involved with a group like Ennis Tidy Towns to make up for his behaviour in the upper O’Connell Street area of the town on November 13. Tomasz Hajduk, with addresses at Sandfield Apartments, Sandfield Road, Ennis and Cree, pleaded guilty to being intoxicated to such an extent so as to be a danger to himself and to others. Gardaí found Mr Hajduk in an intoxicated state outside Ennis Cathedral and he has a number of previous convictions mainly for public order offences, the court heard. The case came back before Ennis District Court on Wednesday where solicitor William Cahir told the court his client had secured work with Ennis Parish on a voloutary basis. Judge Patrick Durcan adjourned the case to October 1 for review. Addressing Mr Hajduk, he said, “I expect you will so some work for the church”.