Two brothers who pretended to sell a laptop to a Polish woman but instead gave her a laptop case with two bottles of water in it have been convicted and fined.
The woman handed €250 to the brothers at the Old Longford Road, Mullingar on February 8 this year in exchange for what she thought was an HP laptop.
John Sweeney, 53 Meadowpark, Westport Road, Castlebar, and Eddie Sweeney, 18 Na Lantain, Castlebar Road, Ballinasloe, pleaded guilty to the offence.
Judge John Neilan said it was a serious offence and cautioned the two men about being back in his District Court area to con people or “convince them there’s a valuable item in a briefcase”.
Eddie Sweeney was fined €1,000 on the basis of 10 previous convictions for road traffic offences. John Sweeney, who has no previous convictions, was fined €500.
Compensation was also paid.
