A man who took a chance when he found a betting slip and then walzed into a bookie’s to recoup a €1,000 win was given time to pay back every penny.
Michael Flannagan (35 ) who is currently residing in Simon Community Care accommodation in the city appeared at Galway District Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to the charge of making gain by unlawful deception.
Inspector Michael Coppinger told the court that on January 3, 2009, a man went into Galway Garda station to make a complaint that he had placed a €500 bet on a horse at 4/1 odds and had been entitled to win €1,000. When he went to collect his winnings he was told that it had already been collected. The injured party was also unable to locate his ticket. A Garda investigation revealed that the defendant had gone into a different betting shop belonging to the same chain and collected the winnings. He had told gardai that he had found the ticket. The court heard that the defendant has one previous conviction for an offence under Section 9(1 ) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act.
Defence solicitor Susan McLoughlin said that the incident was opportunistic, that her client had found the betting slip in a bank and did not know to whom it belonged. Judge Elizabeth McGrath then said that the injured party is still out of pocket by €1,000 and the money will have to be paid back. Judge McGrath adjourned the case until March 29, 2010 for €500 compensation to be paid and it is expected that there will be a further adjournment for the repayment of the balance and for the matter to be finalised.
