Enniskillen Court House, RMGFH04
A DUBLIN woman spent seven weeks in jail, including Christmas, after being charged with fraud for not paying for her week-long stay at a Fermanagh guest house.
Karen Jones (54) who hails from Swords in Co Dublin but was living in Co Roscommon, appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Wednesday where she pleaded not guilty to fraud by false representation after staying for over a week at Dromard House Bed and Breakfast near Enniskillen without paying.
Jones had arrived at the B&B at around 10pm on Wednesday, December 9 after arrangements she made to stay with a friend in Fermanagh fell through. After initially only intending to stay a few days to do shopping in Enniskillen, she stayed a total of eight nights, spending one night in Dublin in between.
Proprietor of the B&B Sharon Weir, who had given Jones lifts into town regularly during her stay, said they spoke of payment on three occasions during Jones’ stay. Firstly, when Ms Weir told Jones she required payment at the end of the stay, as was standard. Secondly, when Ms Weir agreed a discount with Jones, and the third time on the night before Jones was arrested.
Ms Weir said she told Jones she could only stay for another week if she paid in cash for the first week, explaining how she had started to doubt anything Jones had been saying, and was beginning to worry about not getting paid.
On her final morning at Dromard House, Jones did not come down for breakfast and when Ms Weir went to her room there was a ‘do not disturb’ sign up. Ms Weir confronted Jones about the payment and Jones said her sister in Dublin would be paying for the stay as a Christmas present. Ms Weir said she had asked for the payment in cash, stating she no longer believed anything Jones said and just wanted her to go. Ms Weir told the defendant she was going into town and when she returned she wanted her to be gone.
When Ms Weir went into town her husband called the police. Jones, who said she didn’t want to leave in case it seemed like she was running away, was still in her room when they arrived.
The arresting officer told the court Jones agreed to wait in the back of the police car while he tried, unsuccessfully, to resolve the matter. Jones refused to give the officer her sister’s details and when it became clear she wasn’t going to pay the officer arrested her.
Defence barrister Ciaran Roddy pointed out that during Jones’ stay she had left for a night, visiting Dublin to go shopping. He said it “would’ve been the easiest thing in the world” for Jones to simply not return. He said she had also had the opportunity to leave without paying the day Ms Weir had gone into town and told her to leave, but had not.
Deputy District Judge Anne Marshall said if Jones had left on the Friday when she was asked that “may have been the end of the matter.”
She said it was unclear when Jones decided she wasn’t going to pay, but she believed she had acted dishonestly.
Judge Marshall convicted Jones of fraud. As Jones had already spent seven weeks in jail, as she had been unable to perfect her bail and she had no previous convictions, she gave her a six month conditional discharge.
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