'A convincing con artist' - Waterford woman found guilty on charges of deception

A Waterford woman has been found guilty of all three charges of deception after a nearly three week trial at Waterford Circuit Court

Catherine O'Brien (47), of An Grianan, Ballinrud, Dungarvan, was charged on three counts of making gain or causing loss by deception contrary to Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, against complainant John Blake. The court heard how O'Brien deceived Mr Blake to pay €20,000 to purchase a horse, to pay €1,100 insurance for the mare and €984 to transport the horse from France to Ireland. 

O'Brien had met Mr Blake on a dating site in 2017 and convinced him to buy a French horse named Lingreville and to pay for its's insurance and transport costs. The State maintained that the horse was never bought and that the additional costs for this 'fictitious' purchase were kept by O'Brien. 

O'Brien pleaded not guilty to the charges and rejected any claim that she deceived Mr Blake. 

The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for 39 minutes before returning unanimous guilty verdicts. 

"You've been caught in a lie"

On Wednesday, July 16, State Prosecutor Conor O'Doherty BL finished his cross-examination of the defendant. He questioned her about €1,100 transferred to her daughters' junior saver account from the victim. Mr O'Doherty asked why the money didn't go to her equine partner John Walsh [throughout the trial both O'Brien and Mr Walsh said that she was working under his 'instruction']. She claimed she did pay Mr Walsh the money and said there was a 'running balance' to pay for day to day expenses.

Mr Doherty said: "The day to day living expenses came from your daughter's junior savings account? You didn't pay John Walsh €1,100."

She said: "I absolutely don't agree with what you're saying."

O'Brien claimed that the victim had been sold a horse that was named Shamalana but was 'mistakenly named' as Lingreville in their correspondence.

In the text messages, O'Brien told Mr Blake about the horse Lingreville and how she won two races in France "which makes her foals worth more". O'Brien said in Court that she was referring to the broodmare Shamalana: "I wasn't talking about Lingreville." Mr O'Doherty responded: "You've been caught in a lie. Shamalana never won a race. She placed twice.

"That is a demonstrably bare-faced lie."

O'Brien retorted: "That is not true, I don't accept what you said to be true."

Animal cruelty

Defence barrister Simon Donagh BL asked his client about the "Wexford incident" that had been discussed earlier in the trial. The incident referred to a date in June 2019 when the Irish Horse Welfare Trust had to take in a number of horses from a stud in Wexford.

The court heard O'Brien had been convicted in absentia for animal cruelty by a Wexford court. She told the court that she had been called to court over the charges on two occasions but on the third occasion, she was in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry, Co Down. She said: " I didn't have a voice." 

O'Brien said that she launched a judicial review and the issue was 'quashed'. However, she also said: "I don't know what the legal term is."

In his closing speech, Mr O'Doherty told the jury: "Ms O'Brien is a devious and determined liar preying on a vulnerable and naive man who was caught into a web of deceit."

He reiterated how the accused did not provide any relevant documents pertaining to her alleged business deals. He said to the jury: "I hope you understand why we went into detail on the messages [between victim and defendant] because it shows the level of deception that went on."

He ended his speech: "This was an elaborate level of deceit by a convincing con artist."

'Settlement'

On charging the jury, Judge Eugene O'Kelly referenced the 'settlement' that was signed by the injured party, O'Brien and Mr Walsh in October 2021. Judge O'Kelly said: "You cannot contract out of your criminal liability."

After the jury returned their verdicts, O'Brien was taken into custody. Judge O'Kelly thanked the jury for their service and recognised that the lengthy trial may have 'discommoded' them from their lives. He exempted them from jury service for the next five years. 

O'Brien will next appear at Waterford Circuit Court via video link on July 22.