Man jailed for theft of €30,000 from property developer’s bank account

David Raleigh

A motorsport fan who purchased 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), 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 31st, 2024, to January 13th, 2025.

Gardaí examined Mr O’Sullivan’s bank account and established that €30,214.29 had been fraudulently withdrawn by Delaney.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.

Bank account details

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. Gardai also found text messages in respect of the car purchase on Delaney’s mobile phone.

Delaney, who, it was heard in court, had competed at handball to a very high level, and who comes from a decent family, acknowledged in interviews with gardaí, following his arrest, that he had no right to have withdrawn the funds belonging to Mr O’Sullivan.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, had purchased other items from motor services in Roscommon using Mr O’Sullivan’s bank card details.

The court heard Delaney had no previous convictions for theft, and he had reimbursed Mr O’Sullivan with all of the monies he had thieved from the developer’s business bank account. The car was returned to the car dealership where it was purchased from.

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. Gardaí agreed with the barrister that Delaney’s offending “lacked sophistication”.

Mr Cronin said Delaney had worked as an apprentice mechanic and lorry driver, and that he had felt “shame” and “remorse” at the thefts.

ADHD

The barrister said Delaney had been struggling with an undiagnosed ADHD condition, he was impulsive, and he 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”.

“The theft of the car was for his own gratification,” said the judge.

Judge Daly said he was satisfied a headline sentence of five years was appropriate, which he reduced to three years.

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.