A man who scammed over €3,500 of his dead brother’s dole nearly three years ago, was sentenced to 22 months in jail at the District Court this week (April 1 ).
Patrick Cassidy (30 ) of Bramble Close, Athlone was deemed unsuitable for community service and was sentenced to 11 months on one count of fraud, with all the subsequent 56 sentences to run concurrently.
He was given an additional 11 months for possession of drugs.
“There's been 12 remands given to the defendant to address these charges and he made no effort,” said Judge John Neilan.
Cassidy was last in court on January 21 where he offered some repayment, but when the judge heard that the €350 he had with him was his first attempt at restitution in his 11 court appearances since May 2006, he declared: “I won’t put up with this”.
Cassidy's legal aid bill on January 21 was €900, but he avoided jail on that appearance after his solicitor, Padraig Quinn, successfully pleaded for the Probation Services to check his suitability for community service.
“The taxpayers are paying his legal aid and he’s only paid €350 since July 2007 [his first court appearance]?” asked the judge then.
In total, Cassidy had defrauded the Department of Social Welfare of €3,583 which Mr Quinn said was his deceased brother’s social welfare payments.
