Kilkenny hurling great DJ Carey is to be sentenced on Monday after admitting he dishonestly induced 13 people to pay him sums to fund treatment for cancer that he did not have.
Other counts related to about nine more people will be taken into account.
Judge Martin Nolan said at the Circuit Criminal Court in Dublin on Friday he would give his sentence decision on Monday at 1pm. He warned Carey (54) that he could expect a custodial sentence.
Carey, who pleaded guilty to 10 charges last July, spent the weekend at Cloverhill Prison, west Dublin, where he was placed in protective custody.
Speaking on Friday, the judge said he wanted to compliment people who responded to Carey, of The Drive, Newtown, Maynooth, Co Kildare, in what they thought was his hour of need. Everyone understands how they feel now, but it is not foolish to be generous when someone is thought to be in distress, he said.
The total sums obtained by Carey from more than 20 people, including businessman Denis O’Brien, were €394,127 and 13,000 US dollars. Of that, €44,200 was repaid, leaving the outstanding sum at €349,927 and $13,000.
Carey’s counsel said he offered a heartfelt and sincere apology to all affected by his offending. That was all he could do in a situation where there was no immediate prospect of restitution of the sums outstanding, Colman Cody SC said.
Carey’s “descent into shame” has been “equally meteoric” to his career achievements, counsel said.
The former hurler has a genuine heart condition which was the reason for his attending hospital earlier this week, counsel said. He had moved from a situation of security to a most humble one involving him living a transient life, including, on occasions, sleeping in his car.
In evidence at Carey’s sentencing hearing on Friday, Det Sgt Michael Burke agreed with prosecution counsel Dominic McGinn the counts taken against Carey related to him falsely representing he needed cancer treatment.
A Garda investigation concerning Carey started from an alert from a financial institution in summer 2022, counsel outlined. An older female customer wished to transfer money to Carey, but the institution considered that might be suspicious and alerted gardaí.
Another person made contact with gardaí, saying they believed they were deceived by Carey. They had given money to him, believing he needed it for a medical issue but considered that might not be true.
As a result of information from banks, gardaí put together a series of deceptions that occurred over time.
Among the 10 charges admitted by Carey was that he, dishonestly and by deception, induced businessman Mr O’Brien to give him money to pay for cancer treatment on unknown dates between January 2014 and September 2022.
He pleaded guilty to the same offence in relation to: Owen and Ann Conway on unknown dates between March 25th, 2021, and November 3rd, 2022; Mark and Sharon Kelly on unknown dates between May 26th, 2021, and December 10th, 2022; Aidan Mulligan on unknown dates between June 1st, 2022, and September 22nd, 2022; Edwin Carey on unknown dates between December 21st, 2021, and November 12th, 2022; former Clare hurler Tony Griffin and Christy Browne on unknown dates between September 1st, 2022, and October 26th, 2022; Thomas Butler on unknown dates between October 1st, 2019, and November 11th, 2022; Jeffrey Howes on unknown dates between February 1st, 2022, and August 8th, 2022; Noel Tynan on unknown dates between January 1st, 2017, and October 12th, 2022; and Aonghus Leydon on unknown dates between March 14th, 2022, and March 21st, 2022.