A landscaper defrauded an elderly woman of more than €50,000 for poor-quality work in her garden, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.
Myles Connors (37) charged her €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 workers 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 home. The woman, who lives alone and has mobility problems, was left with defective 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.
Det Garda Aileen Deely told prosecuting counsel that Connors had done work for a neighbour of the victim and that person recommended him to the woman who was looking for similar work done. The neighbour was charged €5,000 for the work in their garden.
Garda Deely said on June 6th, 2024, that 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 Garda 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 €1,420 was paid by Connors were 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 from which he was buying the vehicle.
The woman wrote the cheque but later asked Connors’s employees to stop as she was unhappy with the work.
Connors called at the elderly woman’s home and told her he was very upset about what she had said to his workers.
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 powerhosed the tarmac and charged her €5,000. She then wrote a cheque for €18,000 to cover the rest of the money outstanding.
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 it was estimated that €20,000 should have more than covered the work if done properly. That person also reported that the work had been carried out to a very poor standard. 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 woman 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.
Defence counsel said €41,800 had been frozen in Connors’ bank account and he had a bank draft to make up the balance of the money.
Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case, which she described as deeply serious, until May 19th, 2026, to allow a psychiatric report to be completed.