Judge gives 'despicably mean’ jeweller suspended sentence for conning elderly woman out of €17k
‘Despicably mean’ was how a judged described a jeweller’s action in conning an 84-year-old Cork woman in the sale of her valuable Cartier brooch in Switzerland.
Michael Wall, 38, with an address at 2 Marionville, Alexandra Road, St. Luke’s, Cork, was given a three-year suspended jail sentence for the crime today at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.
He spent several weeks remanded in custody following his conviction at the end of a trial by judge and jury.
The victim previously described how she had experienced sleepless nights and terrible shock at being duped.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said Wall got the trust of the owner of the brooch and her family and the piece of jewellery was entrusted to him to sell at auction.
The judge said that it was somewhat unusual in that the accused presented himself as a jeweller but arrived by bus to Mallow and showed them other jewellery which he produced from his pocket which was wrapped in sheets of the Waterford News and Star newspaper.
“He had exaggerated notions causing him to get into this kind of trouble. They were florid at that time,” the judge said.
Judge Ó Donnbháin referred to psychiatric evidence of Wall’s disassociative episodes and said this was clear from the defendant’s presentation in court during his own trial.
When the accused was on bail he came to the attention of gardaí in October 2017.
The particulars of that incident were outlined in court. A guard was taking photographs to gather evidence at the scene of a traffic accident when Wall repeatedly stood in front of him to prevent him from doing so. He was deemed to have been obstructive on the occasion.
Wall was convicted by a jury on fraud-related charges. The main counts related to giving the elderly owner of a Cartier brooch about €17,000 less than it made at auction in Geneva and giving her a false document from the auction house.
Detective Garda Padraig Reddington read the victim impact statement on behalf of the 84-year-old woman.
“I did not bring this case for the attention of the gardaí originally for money, it was to get justice for being wronged by someone I trusted and welcomed into the family home to help me.
"I have had so many sleepless nights. I now feel very vulnerable in dealing with people."
"It has, after 84 years of life, changed how I view and interact with people.
"I am now, more than ever, aware that you can no longer take someone at their word and that trust needs to be earned.
"I am at a financial loss of over €17,000 due to the dishonesty and deceit of the guilty party, Michael Wall.
“My solicitor looked up the brooch on the internet and that is the first time I had heard the true value of the sale of the Cartier brooch. I felt I could have died with the shock and couldn’t believe someone could be so dishonest.
“I was under a lot of stress due to this case and the proceedings and I felt stupid for trusting someone who has now so clearly, in hindsight, done me so wrong.”
