Longford man who was ‘small cog’ in auto engine scam given suspended sentence

A Longford father of three who was involved in an operation to defraud a man out of more than €1,700 by falsely claiming that a van engine had been replaced, has been handed a two year suspended prison sentence.

Patrick Clyne (50) of 18 Canal Bank in the county town pleaded guilty at Longford Circuit Criminal Court recently to attempting to make a gain by deception at Teemore Industrial Estate, Granard on June 22, 2019.

Barrister Stephen Faulkner, for the State, led Detective Garda Caoimhe Walsh through her evidence and he stated the injured party in this case made a complaint to gardaí on May 31, 2019.

The court heard the man had been having issues with his Ford Transit van and he responded to an advert to an apparent company offering replacement engines on the well-known website.

"Mr Carroll was in contact with a male called Shay and he agreed a price of €1,500 with him to supply and fit a Ford Transit engine and he was told it would have approximately 67,000 miles on the replacement engine."

Garda Walsh agreed with Mr Faulkner, who stated the injured party's van was collected at his address and it was taken away to an unknown location.

"A few days later [the injured party] was contacted by the male Shay who informed him the catalytic converter needed to be relaced and he paid out an extra 250 for that.

"On the 18th of June 2019 [the injured party] contacted Shay for an invoice for the work and Shay informed him that the price would be €1,500 plus VAT."

Det Garda Walsh said they had a copy of invoice issued by LPV Ford auto parts on Ford letterhead with a VAT number included.
She stated they carried out enquiries with Revenue and established it was a false VAT number.

The court heard on June 22 the complainant travelled to Granard to collect the van but he suspected something was awry and he contacted Gardaí prior to picking up the vehicle.

Det Garda Walsh agreed he travelled to the industrial estate where he met a man named Paddy, the accused and the defendant before the court Patrick Clyne and there was a younger man with him.

The court heard the defendant had nine previous convictions, including two for theft and fraud offences.

Barrister Niall Flynn, defending, said Mr Clyne was 'labouring under a drug addiction' at the time of the offence and he had been working under a family and individuals who were 'well known to gardaí'.

Mr Flynn said his client started to use drugs after his father's death aged just 57 and he became addicted to cocaine in his 20s and he amassed significant debts and he started working for an individual to essentially 'discharge the debt'.

Mr Flynn said there was nothing in the book of evidence to suggest Mr Clyne was making decisions and he was at the lowest rung of the ladder and he had 'no role in the overall running of the enterprise'.

"He was contacted to say the vehicle was ready and he was on the yard when the vehicle was collected.

"He was a small cog in an overall large enterprise."

Judge Jonathan Dunphy noted Mr Clyne, a father of three, had not come to the attention of the Gardaí since March 2020.

He stated the defendant comes from a family well invested community and he worked with his father in transport in the past, but the drug debt was his own responsibility.

Judge Dunphy said based on the gravity of the offence and his moral culpability the case fell into the higher end of the low range of offending.

He considered Mr Clyne's lack of offending during the past six years and the the contents of his GP letter and he said he considered that the defendant presented a low risk of re-offending.

Judge Dunphy imposed a 12-month prison sentence, which he suspended for a period of two years, and he also placed him under the supervision of the Probation Service for the full two years with strict conditions that he attend all appointments, follow all of their directions and be of good behaviour.

READ NEXT: Longford man stopped by Garda after midnight found with ‘axe hanging out of sportsbag’

READ NEXT: Down Memory Lane | Gallery of classic Longford photographic memories from quarter of a century ago