A letting agent who tricked 83 university students into paying more than £16,000 in rent has been given a three-year prison term at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Frank O'Donnell postponed sentence to give the defendant a chance to repay the remainder of the money.
The court heard that after the fraud was uncovered the defendant fled to England where he was convicted of claiming social welfare under three names.
Jeffrey Taylor (25) of Taylor's Lane, Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, pleaded guilty to three sample counts of obtaining money by false pretences on dates in 1994.
Det Garda Niall Leinster told prosecuting counsel Mr Fergal Foley that in 1993 Taylor set up a company called Taylor Letting Agents. The business had a headquarters in South Richmond Street and two sub-offices in Kilmainham and Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra.
In August 1994, Taylor placed advertisements in newspapers looking for tenants for three flats in the Mespil complex, Dublin 4, Cedar Hall in Milltown and Melmore House on Eglington Road.
After receiving an "overwhelming response", Taylor agreed to let the first two flats eight times and the third one seven times. On some occasions he took a deposit, on others he also took a month's rent in advance.
Det Garda Leinster said Taylor was motivated by a desire not to lose business, and in so doing, dug himself into "a hell of a hole". When the scheme was uncovered, Taylor fled to Newcastle in England, leaving behind a business that employed five or six people. There, he was convicted of claiming social welfare under three names.
When gardai went to Newcastle to interview him, he agreed to return to Ireland once he had completed a 240-hour community service order.
In cross-examination by defence counsel Mr Hugh Hartnett, Det Garda Leinster agreed when initial complaints were made by a number of the students, Taylor put them up in a Jurys hotel for a night and in a bed and breakfast on a second night. Some others were given temporary accommodation in a hostel.
Taylor had done so because he did not have a criminal mentality and appeared genuinely to want to repay the money. His way of doing business was his downfall. Company employees told gardai Taylor had no knowledge of how to keep adequate records or of systems management.
Mr Hartnett said that his client had set up his letting company when he was only 21. In some ways it was unfortunate that the company was such an enormous success.
Taylor had used the stolen money to run his company and only £3,000 remained to be paid over to gardai. He was now working full-time and saving as much as he could for repayments.
Judge O'Donnell said Taylor was guilty of a serious offence. He had taken the money from students. However, it was clear Taylor was not a criminal in the ordinary sense. He imposed a three-year prison sentence but said he would postpone it until February 16th, 2000, to allow Taylor to repay the remainder of the money. He warned the defendant he was now being given a chance which he should avail of.