Boston-based Irishman ends up in court over bet winnings

WHEN an Irishman living in Boston decided to withdraw some of his winnings from his Paddy Power online gambling account little did he know it would all end up in Fermoy District Court.

The court heard yesterday how a strange tale of dual nationalities, identical names and mistaken addresses ended with a €500 fine for theft.

Dual American and Irish citizen John Joseph O’Connor did not get the money he had requested from Paddy Power bookmaker to fund a holiday at home because, bizarrely, it went to a man with exactly the same name who lived on the same road which had been given as Mr O’Connor’s Irish address on his internet account application.