A Raphoe farmer has been jailed for 18 months but had the sentence replaced by 150 hours of community service after admitting possessing a stolen tractor.
Well-known sheep and cattle dealer Nelson McConnell was visited by Gardai at his farm on November13th last.
Garda Tom McNally told Letterkeny Circuit Court that it later became apparent that the 59 year old had fled the scene on the Massey Ferguson 4355.
Gardai later called to his home and he made a statement.
He told Gardai that another person had left the tractor at his home and he used it as his own tractor was broken.
The court heard that the other man owed McConnell money for stock and this was the return on it.
McConnell registered the vehicle in a neighbour’s name without their knowledge, got a new license plate made up for €50 in Letterkenny and transferred the insurance from his old tractor to the new machine.
The tractor had been stolen form a raid on a farm in Castle Allingham in Co Louth.
Barrister for McConnell, Mr Peter Nolan said his client was one of a number of people who had been a victim of a certain third party along the way.
Describing him as a family man with four children, Mr Nolan said the incident has already brought great embarrassment to McConnell.
“He will be the talk of the mart in Raphoe for the next two weeks. He will have to face all that and I would like to think he has learned a lesson,” said Mr Nolan.
Judge John O’Hagan said he accepted there were other parties involved but that Mr McConnell had to be taught a lesson
He ordered McConnell to pay €4,000 to the man who lost the tractor which was paid in court yesterday.
Judge O’Hagan commented that if nobody was receiving stolen goods then there would be no thieves.
And he added that he did not accept that McConnell did not know what he was doing or he would not have pleaded guilty in the first place.