A fraudster pensioner who claimed he was recruited to a gang behind a €52,000 scam because of his gambling addiction enjoyed hotel stays in Donegal using bogus credit cards.
Serial criminal Patrick Manning, who committed his first theft rap in 1973, dodged jail yesterday after pleading guilty to a number of thefts.
In his latest spree he was part of a gang who used cards from Barclays Bank to pay for computers, jewellery, mobiles, laptops, clothes and hotel stays in Letterkenny, Drogheda, Co Louth, and Dublin.
The 70-year-old grandad has 44 previous convictions including ten for deception and five for theft.
He bought designer clothes, perfumes, sportswear and obtained dollars and sterling from currency exchanges.
Although gardai described him as “one of the main participants” of the fraud gang, they do not believe he is the “main brains” behind the “sophisticated operation”.
But investigators believe Manning was “very close” to the gang’s ringleader and was a “trusted member” of the mob.
Manning, who also has 19 motoring convictions and has received eight one year driving bans, was hit with just a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Court after pleading guilty to theft.
The scam worked by the thieves — who obtained the names of six legitimate card holders — contacting Barclays to claim they lost their card while holidaying here.
The caller then asked the firm to send an emergency card — which could be used with just a signature — to a hotel booked in the account holder’s name.
Once the bank contacted the hotel, it confirmed a room had been booked in the account holder’s name.
The item was then sent to the hotel and later collected by a member of the gang.
Over the next two days, Manning would go on a spending spree.
His purchases would only end when the bank cancelled the card after contacting the legitimate card holder over the “irregular transactions”.
The Irish Sun report how Manning — who also claimed to have a heart condition — made no effort to disguise himself during the dodgy transactions because he was convinced the CCTV would be wiped by the time his fraud was exposed.
Gardai noted how Manning’s “age profile and the way he dresses” made his stories believable.
They added: “He claimed that he was given the credit card and sometimes he would pick it up at a hotel.”
He was finally caught after Barclays told gardai a request had been made for an emergency card at the Westcourt Hotel in Drogheda.
Gardai in Pearse Street in Dublin launched a sting op.
When the grandad arrived to collect the item, he was arrested by gardai.
During a search of his car, officers also recovered a fake UK driving licence and passport images.
His splurge started on October 16, 2016, and ended on October 18 with the thief spending €13,585 at the Vodafone Store, Currency Exchange, Debenhams and The Temple Bar.
Five days later the ageing crook was up to his old tricks again when he converted €10,761 from the stolen cards. And on October 28, he splashed €13,936 on computers, phones and clothes.