Former golf tournament operator remanded on bail over alleged deception worth almost €1m 

David McMahon made no reply when the six charges were put to him under caution in Tralee Garda Station last Friday.

A former golf tournament operator charged with committing deception, including false instrument, totalling close to €1m has been remanded on bail to appear before a Kerry court later this month.

David McMahon (41) was arrested on foot of six arrest warrants at Dublin Airport last Thursday and appeared before a special sitting of Cork District Court last Friday.

Judge Treasa Kelly remanded him in custody for the weekend to appear before the court on Monday morning. Det Sgt Ernest Henderson had told the court that Mr McMahon made no reply when the six charges were put to him under caution in Tralee Garda Station in the early hours of last Friday.

Alleged offences

The charges involve alleged dishonest inducement by deception and the use of a false instrument, to wit a letter, to the prejudice of a person or persons.

The alleged offences occurred in 2018. Some of the charges related to dishonestly inducing bank managers to lodge money in to Premier Irish Golf Tours Ltd’s account.

Padraig O’Connell, solicitor, told Judge Colm Roberts that his client was unable to attend court in person on Monday due to a diagnosis of Covid-19. He applied for a remand on bail in the case and said that a relative of the accused was willing to provide an independent surety of €5,000 and a further bond of €5,000.

He asked that Mr McMahon be remanded on bail pending his next appearance before the court for the service of the Book of Evidence in the case.

Judge Roberts explained to the family member of the accused that providing the independent surety in the case was a serious undertaking. He warned that if Mr McMahon failed to appear in court or breached the terms of his bail in any way that he would lose his money.

“All of this you have no control over — it depends on him.”

 The family member said that he understood the terms of providing bail in the case.

Bail conditions

Mr McMahon is subject to stringent bail conditions, including that he sign on daily at Tralee Garda Station, be contactable to gardaí by phone 24 hours a day and obey a curfew nightly from 11pm to 6am.

Mr McMahon also had to surrender his passport and agree to reside at the family home in Ashgrove, Ballyvelly, Tralee.

Judge Roberts remanded Mr McMahon on bail until his next court appearance on August 25 in Tralee District Court.

In a break from the norm the bail in the case had to be paid over to Cork Prison as Mr McMahon was unable to appear in court arising out of his Covid diagnosis. Mr McMahon also had to pay his own bond of €100.

The six arrest warrants in the case date back to September 2021.

The charges are contrary to Section 6 and 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. They involve individual sums the smallest which was €30,000 to the largest which involves a sum of €600,000. It is alleged that McMahon dishonestly induced named persons.