A IT WORKER conned his colleagues and tag-rugby teammates out of nearly €8,000 by telling them he could get them tickets to a Conor McGregor UFC Fight.
David Marsh (29), who also conned a Limerick couple out of €76,000, has been remanded on bail pending sentence next week.
He knew the couple as he was in a relationship with the woman’s sister. He told them that he had bought a house at “a knock down price” in a development in Castletroy and promised them he could secure them the same deal.
The couple lodged €76,000 to Marsh’s bank account on the understanding that he was going to secure the property for them through his financial advisor.
The man became suspicious after two months when documentation he had requested from Marsh was never produced. He confronted him and Marsh admitted to “squandering” the cash on an Audi, a rugby tour and a holiday to New York.
The couple told the court it took them over ten years to raise the money by saving their hard earned wages and “making sacrifices”.
The following year Marsh had conned friends from his tag rugby team in Stillorgan and colleagues from his workplace out of a total of €7,785 after telling them he could get tickets to Conor McGregor’s UFC Fight Night in Dublin ‘s O2 in July 2014.
He told others he had won a trip for six to Barbados but he didn’t want to go so took cash off them to change the name on the tickets.
Marsh took €1,125 from one friend as a deposit for a flat that they were to move in together but he had never organised for the flat to be rented. He took €200 for two tickets from the same man for the UFC event.
Marsh of Granite Court, Stepaside, Co Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dishonestly inducing another to transfer €76,000 into his AIB account to purchase a site at Fox Hollow, Golf Links Road, Castletroy on December 6, 2013.
He also pleaded guilty to 12 counts of dishonestly inducing another to give him various amounts of cash for various items, knowing that he couldn’t provide it on dates between April and July 2014. He has no previous convictions.
Marsh wrote a letter of apology, read out in court, in which he apologised for taking advantage of his friend’s kindness to fill “my own twisted needs”.
He said he wanted to take full responsibility for his actions and apologised for altering and destroying their plans.
“I promise to do everything I can to make things right,” Marsh said before he added he was full of self-hatred and hoped that “my actions do not destroy your faith in people”.
I shamed myself, family and friends. I only hope in the future I can become a reformed man. I vow to make my word mean something again.
Judge John Aylmer said he wanted time to consider a lengthy forensic psychologist report before the court and remanded Marsh on continuing bail until 20 June next for sentence.
Leo Mulrooney BL, defending said his client had no money in court to compensate his victims. He said that he hoped to raise cash for the victims through the sale of an Audi which he bought with the money taken from the Limerick couple. He also had just over €7,000 which was frozen in a bank account and a credit union.
Counsel said Marsh had also recently secured a job working as a sales rep in a phone shop which he hoped would allow him to save a further €10,000 a year to offer to the various victims.
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