Suspended jail term for 'particularly nasty' fraud relating to coal deliveries to two elderly women
A judge said it was "particularly nasty" for a coalman to take hundreds of pounds from elderly women as part of a fraud.
District Judge Nigel Broderick was speaking at Ballymena Magistrates' Court where a 35-year-old man was sentenced on charges of the theft of '£980' worth of coal from LCC and two charges of fraud by false representation when he sold coal, 'which was not yours to sell,' to a woman and offered a number of bags of coal for sale to another woman.
The three charges relate to August 29 – September 1 this year.
A prosecutor told the court that a 78-year-old woman said she knew the defendant – Barry Young with an address listed as no fixed abode in the town – worked for LCC, with whom she had been a regular customer.
Young said he had "60-80 bags of coal" and that he could sell them to her for £600.
She paid cash but he did not return and did not provide the coal.
The court was told the defendant offered to sell a 74-year-old woman bags of coal "for a good price" and a "price was agreed" - £700.
He "did return with some of the coal" and requested the money be sent to his "own personal account" which the woman did with an online transfer.
The prosecutor said LCC attended the next day and "recovered the coal as it had not been authorised" and then "credited both victims for the amount they had paid out".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said: "That was very good of the company. They stood in and they put credit on the account which is to their credit. So the victims didn't lose out financially but the company has lost out".
The prosecutor said the company said the defendant had worked for nearly 10 years with them but he had "become unreliable in the past six months and that is why he wasn't actually allowed to pick up coal orders so he had done this without their knowledge".
The court was told the defendant, who had lived in Northern Ireland for around 15 years, had a previous criminal record from England including robbery.
A defence barrister said the defendant now works in a local factory.
He said the defendant is "extremely remorseful".
The lawyer said Young had been under "pressure" as a result of "debts which accrued from gambling".
The court was told four other suspected victims have now come forward.
Judge Broderick told the defendant: "This was a particularly nasty offence to approach two elderly individuals and take money off them at the doorstep promising the delivery of coal is a very nasty thing to do.
"To the credit of your then employer, who I have no doubt sacked you immediately, they reimbursed the individuals but they are financially at loss" for the "breach of trust".
He handed down a six months prison term, suspended for two years, and ordered Young to pay £1,300 compensation to the firm.