Woman defrauded airlines for rugby flights

A WOMAN who helped hundreds of Munster rugby fans fly to away games around Europe has admitted giving two charter airlines forged documents, Limerick Circuit Court heard.

What began as a small operation by Pamela Hickey to help family and friends get cheaper travel to Munster’s Heineken Cup games grew out of control when more and more fans requested travel tickets, the court heard.

Hickey, aged 38, of Ashford, Patrickswell, Co Limerick organised a total of 15 rugby charters.

However, she ran out of money as she planned the last two charters, to Toulouse in December 2004 and Gatwick in January 2005.

Hickey told gardaí she panicked when she found 180 fans had booked for the game in Toulouse, and decided to take steps to ensure the flight went ahead.

To convince Air Charter Service the money was on its way, Hickey set up a transfer from empty bank accounts for the purpose of setting up a false money transfer on the weekend of the Toulouse game. This was faxed to the charter company, which then released the plane. It was only the following Monday, after the flight had returned to Shannon, that Air Charter Services discovered the money transfer was a forgery.

Monarch Airlines wanted £38,240 for the return Shannon-Gatwick flight. Hickey lodged €3,824 to a bank account she held. She obtained a money transfer document for €3,834, which she altered by adding a zero, making it read €38,340, and faxed it to Monarch.

During the negotiations, Hickey impressed the Monarch representative by her grasp of the business and told him that Limerick businessman JP McManus was a silent partner in her travel business.

As a result, Air Charter Services were left owed €77,000 and Monarch Airlines were left owed more than £34,000 (€39,500). None of the money has been recovered, the court heard.

Hickey lost everything as a result of the fraud, including her home, her reputation, the relationship with the father of one of her two children, and her creche business, the court heard.

Det Gda Michael Kilfeather said Hickey had taken responsibility for the fraud and had not intended to make money from it.

Judge Carroll Moran said it was a complex case and adjourned sentence to October 21.