Man withdrew and spent €58,000 lodged to his bank account by mistake
A man who spent €58,000 mistakenly lodged into his bank account by a stockbroking firm has been given further time to raise compensation.
Keith O’Connor (51) appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on a single charge of theft.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin adjourned sentencing until November 14 after being told O’Connor was continuing to raise compensation for the firm involved.
A further €1,000 was lodged in court, with total compensation of almost half the initial amount involved now successfully raised.
Judge Ó Donnabháin had earlier this year warned O’Connor of Kilnap Green, Farranree, Co Cork, that his contributions from the witness box had simply amounted to “digging a bigger hole” for himself.
O’Connor acknowledged he had spent the €58,000 which had been mistakenly lodged into his account by the stockbroking firm.
The defendant – who first appeared before the court last year – was adamant he had not set out to defraud anyone.
“I have had nothing but trouble since that money landed in my account,” O’Connor said. “I did not need that money – I did not ask for that money.”
More than €21,000 in compensation has now been paid in various lodgements.
The court previously heard from Det Garda Malcolm Walsh that on March 29, 2016, €58,000 was mistakenly lodged in the defendant’s account by the stockbroking firm.
O’Connor had previously purchased shares through a firm of stockbrokers. In a transfer error, funds which should have been paid to the account of another client was instead transferred to O’Connor’s account.
When the error was discovered, contact was made with O’Connor by the firm.
However, the defendant did not engage with the firm and instead O’Connor almost immediately withdrew the entire sum from his account.