City mayor tricked into praising conman’s gift

AN international conman and sex attacker was feted by dignitaries in Limerick, including the mayor of the city, after he donated a dud £100,000 cheque to a local charity group.

Smooth-talking John Cronin, aged 34, from East Lothian in Scotland, was toasted by the city’s Mayor Diarmuid Scully at a public event for Limerick Animal Welfare (LAW) on Friday night.

Cronin had presented the group with a cheque for £100,000. But what Mr Scully did not realise was that the man he was praising was a convicted criminal.