Online scammer stole €150 destined for gig tickets

Seven people appeared before Galway District Court, charged with duping people into lodging money into their bank accounts and with the theft of the monies.  .

They have also been charged with giving Detective Paul McNulty misleading information when questioned.

Six of them have been remanded on continuing bail to a later date, while the State awaits the directions of the Director of Public Prosecution’s in the matters.

The amounts involved varied from €150 to €550.

The seventh accused, Sophia Thornton (20), with a former address at Gort na Glaise, Sandy Road, pleaded guilty to inducing a woman to lodge €150 into her bank account on March 13 last for Ed Sheeran concert tickets, which the woman never received.

Thornton also pleaded guilty to handling the money at AIB, Tuam Road on the same date, knowing it was stolen from the woman.

Detective McNulty told the court the injured party agreed to lodge €150 into Thornton’s bank account having seen an advert for the sale of two Ed Sheeran concert tickets. The woman never received the tickets and her money was never refunded.

He said he obtained a search warrant to check Thornton’s bank account and noticed €150 had been lodged into the account on March 12.

The accused had withdrawn the money and handed it over to the person behind the scam the following day. She refused to name the man as she was in fear of him when questioned later, Detective McNulty said.

Defence solicitor, Brian Gilmartin, said his client was very young and naive and she had allowed herself to be manipulated by an older man.

He said his client did not profit from the transaction.

Detective McNulty accepted the girl was afraid of this man.

Mr Gilmartin said his client had since moved home to live with her parents in Connemara and they were now taking a more proactive role in her life.

Judge Aeneas McCarthy said he would like the accused to take a proactive role straight away and pay back the €150 to the victim of the scam.

The accused returned to court a short time later with the money.

Judge McCarthy then applied the Probation Act, accepting she had been naive to get involved in the scam in the first place.