Man who fled €4,000 penthouse without paying set to avoid jail

One of a group of people who fled without paying for a €4,000-a-night penthouse suite in the Radisson Blu Hotel will avoid a prison sentence if he does community service.

Gideon Osagiede (22), Flat 1, 472 North Circular Road, Dublin 7, was part of the group of eight which booked into the penthouse suite at the hotel overlooking Lough Atalia, on Friday night, February 19 last.

The group left the next morning without paying €500 each for the €4,000-a-night penthouse suite.

Osagiede was the last to leave the penthouse and he was subsequently charged with obtaining services to the value of €500 at the hotel before making off without paying his portion of the bill.

He had initially contested the charge but changed his plea to guilty at the last minute before Galway District Court.

Judge Mary Fahy expressed surprise at the cost of a one-night stay in the penthouse and she asked if the hotel had been given a credit card (for the booking) by any member of the group.

Sgt. Finbarr Philpott confirmed a fraudulent credit card had been given to the hotel to book the penthouse but the accused was not charged with that offence.

Defence solicitor, Michael Cunningham, said at the time that his client was not the person who made the booking.

He said his client was part of a group which partied in the penthouse after a night out in Galway city.

Judge Fahy asked if Osagiede had his portion of the bill, which was €500, in court.

The solicitor said his client’s social welfare payments had been stopped in July but he was trying to get them back.  He didn’t have €500 to pay for his stay in Galway.

He did bring €150 to court and that along with his €120 bail money was forfeited to the court.

The matter was adjourned for the balance of €230 to be paid over and for Osagiede’s suitability to carry out community service be assessed.

The money was handed into court before Christmas and he was deemed suitable for community service.

Judge Fahy directed the accused carry out 120 hours of community service in lieu of a three-month prison sentence.

She had indicated to the court in October that the €500 would go towards local charities.