A MOTORSPORT fan who bought a BMW X5 SUV by fraudulently using a Limerick property developer’s bank card details was jailed for two and half years at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
Gareth Delaney (25), of Hyde Court, Golf Links Road, Roscommon, pleaded guilty to theft using bank account details belonging to Jerry O’Sullivan, Appletree Developments, Ballysimon, Limerick.
Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan, instructed by Limerick City State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, told the court Jerry O’Sullivan contacted Gardaí after he noticed a number of “suspicious” withdrawals from his business bank account in respect of dates from December 31, 2024, to January 13, 2025.
Gardaí examined Mr O’Sullivan’s bank account and established that €30,214.29 had been fraudulently withdrawn by Mr Delaney.
The defendant was arrested after he used his own name and address to purchase items by phone, including a BMW X5, that cost €27,000.
Delaney told Gardaí he discovered Mr O’Sullivan’s bank account details on a business card.
Gardaí harvested CCTV footage which showed Delaney collecting the BMW car, and found text messages in respect of the purchase on his phone.
Delaney, who, it was heard in court, competed at handball to a very high level and comes from a decent family, acknowledged in interviews with Gardaí following his arrest that he had no right to have withdrawn the funds belonging to Mr O’Sullivan.
Delaney, who it was heard had two previous road traffic convictions, purchased other items from motor services in Roscommon using Mr O’Sullivan’s details.
The court heard Delaney had no previous convictions for theft and had reimbursed Mr O’Sullivan with all of the monies he had thieved from the developer’s business bank account. The car was also returned to the car dealership.
Gardaí agreed with Donal Cronin, barrister for Delaney, instructed by John Herbert Solicitors, that the defendant had a keen interest in driving and motorsport and that he had no prior convictions for theft.
Mr Cronin said some of the items fraudulently purchased by Delaney had been delivered to his home. Gardai agreed with the barrister that Delaney’s offending “lacked sophistication”.
Mr Cronin said Delaney worked as an apprentice mechanic and lorry driver, and that he had felt “shame” and “remorse” at the thefts.
The barrister said Delaney had been struggling with an undiagnosed ADHD condition, was impulsive, and had been under financial pressure at the time.
Mr Cronin asked the court not to jail Delaney, who had since been diagnosed with ADHD and was “in a better place” with “good family supports”.
Judge Colin Daly said, in his opinion, Delaney was “an intelligent young man who clearly knew what he was doing was wrong”.
Judge Daly said he was satisfied a headline sentence of five years was appropriate, which he reduced to three.
Taking into consideration Delaney’s early guilty plea, as well as his lack of prior theft convictions, remorse, and family support, the judge finally reduced the jail sentence to two and a half years.