59 year old Don O’Callaghan of Churchfield Green in the city was sentenced at a sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal today.
The court had previously heard that O’Callaghan had claimed over half a million euro on behalf of his dead parents between 1987 and 2020 and had made 1,700 separate collections.
The scheme was rumbled when inspectors contacted him to verify that his father had turned 100 years old and would be willing to accept a cheque for €2,540 from The President.
Today's sitting of Cork Circuit Criminal Court heard that O Callaghan had taken a photo of an elderly man he knew so he could apply for a PPS Card to maintain the fraud.
The court heard that O'Callaghan's daily routine consisted of going to a bookmakers in the city everyday at noon and staying there until 6pm.
A probation report found he was at moderate risk of re-offending.
Judge Helen Boyle said she accepted that gambling addiction had effectively ruined O’Callaghan’s life and that the loss of his mother when he was 13 had had a traumatic impact on him. His father Donal O'Callaghan also died when he was in his 20s.
Judge Boyle said O'Callaghan- who represented Cork hurling at a number of levels- presented as a man who wanted to make a genuine change to life his offence was in the upper range of seriousness.
He also noted that he had taken the money from the pension pool that should have been used for people who needed it.
Judge Boyle said he had no trappings of wealth and was living in his parents house.
She sentenced him to 4 and a half years and suspended the final year.
Don O’Callaghan thanked the judge before being taken into custody
