No jail for Cork man who defrauded farmer out of his €20k savings

When questioned, the defendant admitted the money had been in his account, but he claimed that he did not know where the money came from, the court heard

When the 82-year-old farmer gave 60-year-old James O’Driscoll a cheque for €2,400 he accidentally added a zero and the defendant took advantage of that by lodging it all to his account and spending it. File photo

A judge has described as deplorable the actions of a man who befriended a bachelor farmer before spending over €20,000 of his savings.

When the 82-year-old farmer gave 60-year-old James O’Driscoll a cheque for €2,400 he accidentally added a zero and the defendant took advantage of that by lodging it all to his account and spending it. The victim did not realise something was wrong until his own cheques began to bounce and he found out that there was nothing left in his account.