A landscaper who defrauded an elderly woman out of over €50,000 for poor quality work in her garden has been jailed for a year.
Myles Connors (37) charged the woman €48,000 for slabbing, weed removal and cementing part of her back garden. He then charged her €5,000 for power washing and painting her tarmac.
Gardaí had the work assessed and found it should have cost €20,000 at most.
The 82-year-old woman complained about the standard of the work and asked for it to stop, but was left feeling she had no option but to allow Connors and his employees to continue the work.
She told the court in her victim impact statement that since being taken advantage of, she no longer feels safe and independent in her own home. The woman, who lives alone and has mobility issues, was left with poor quality slabbing that was uneven and unsecured.
Connors, of College Farm Heights, Newbridge, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to two counts of deception at a location in Co Dublin, on dates in June 2024.
Judge Orla Crowe said the offence was deeply disturbing, adding that Connors had put the woman under pressure to write a cheque for the work.
She said Connors told the woman he was upset about the way she had spoken to his employees which the judge said was “entirely manipulative behaviour”.
“He took full advantage of her. She invited someone into her home that she trusted. Her sense of safety has been deeply shaken,” Judge Crowe said.
'Gross breach of trust'
She said it was a “sustained, controlled and premeditated campaign” against the woman, which represented a “gross breach of trust”.
Judge Crowe ordered the release of funds from Connors' account, which had been frozen, meaning the woman has now been fully restituted.
The judge imposed a two-year sentence and suspended the final 12 months of the term on strict conditions. Connors was also ordered not to have any contact by any means with the victim in the case
Detective Garda Aileen Deely told prosecuting counsel that Connors had done work for a neighbour of the victim and they recommended him to the woman who was looking for similar work done. The neighbour was charged €5,000 for the work done in their garden.
Gda Deely said on June 6th, 2024, Connors and three employees arrived and began weed removal and cementing the woman’s garden. She was told this would cost €11,600.
He showed her a brochure and she picked out slabbing. He then quoted a price of €48,000.
The court heard that Connors had purchased slabbing for €1,200 the previous day which was the material subsequently used in the woman’s garden.
Det Gda Deely said that on the same day Connors contacted a garage and put down a €1,000 deposit on a Ford Ranger Raptor. He traded in his own car and a balance of €35,000 was left to pay for the car.
The following day the slabs and bags of sand for which a total of €1,420 was paid by Connors was delivered to the woman’s house. Three employees began work at the house.
Connors told the woman he required €35,000 of the €48,000 and imposed on her to write a cheque for that amount. He told her to make it out to the company he was buying the vehicle from.
The woman wrote the cheque but later asked Connors’ employees to stop as she was not happy with the work and said they were not the slabs she had ordered.
Connors called to the elderly woman’s home and told her he was very upset about what she had said to his employees. He also told her his wife was very upset about it.
The woman reluctantly allowed them to continue the work and felt she could not say no.
The court heard that on June 14th, 2024, Connors power-hosed the tarmac and charged her €5,000. He also painted it black, which she had not asked for. She then wrote a cheque for €18,000 to cover the rest of the money outstanding.
Garda complaint
She got a handwritten receipt and continued to express disappointment about the standard of the work. She later made a complaint to gardaí.
Gardaí later had the work assessed by a member of a professional landscaping body, and they estimated that €20,000 should have more than covered the work if done properly.
They also reported the work had been carried out to a very poor standard. Flowerbeds had been put in with loose bricks, and the paving was uneven and not properly secured. The material used cost less than €3,000.
Connors was arrested and maintained his right to silence, making no admissions. He has one previous conviction for criminal damage.
The elderly woman told the court she had just been released from hospital and wanted some weed removal done around her home. She said she had invited Connors, someone she trusted, to do the work, but he had other ideas.
She said up to that time she had felt safe and independent in her home, but since being taken advantage of, her sense of safety had been deeply shaken. She said she felt scared and vulnerable in her own home and was afraid they might return. She has trouble sleeping.
She said Connors had ruined her life, leaving her heart racing every time the doorbell rings and nervous to answer the phone. She told the court she feels her independence is failing.
Patrick O’Sullivan BL defending said €41,800 had been frozen in Connors bank account, and he had a bank draft to make up the balance of the money.
O'Sullivan said his client had been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for some time. He asked the court to consider a psychiatric report which had been ordered for the case.
