A prison sentence has been handed down to a couple living in Cork after they were found guilty of the unlawful interference of a gas metre
The verdict, which is the first of it's kind in Ireland, has been welcomed by Gas Networks Ireland
Cornel and Lina Rostas, with an address at 24 Orchard Court, Blackpool, pleaded guilty and were convicted at Cork District Court on charges of unlawful interference with a gas meter and the dishonest use of gas.
The court heard that Gas Networks Ireland had carried out an investigation at the property in August last year and found the lock on the gas meter had been removed illegally and the gas meter had been unlawfully tampered with, preventing consumption from being recorded on the meter.
Judge Marian O’Leary handed down a €600 fine and a four month prison sentence to Cornel Rostas with the final three months suspended while a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years, and fines of €400 were issued to Lina Rostas.
Gas Networks Ireland says this is first conviction secured for meter tampering that has resulted in a term of imprisonment and hope the verdict will act as a strong deterrent as meter tampering is a serious crime with potentially deadly consequences
