Former Kilkenny hurling great DJ Carey has been jailed for five-and-a-half years for defrauding individuals by falsely claiming that he had cancer.
The former All-Star and All-Ireland winner was accused of defrauding 22 people out of almost €400,000.
Victims of Carey (54) included work colleagues, friends and a cousin. To date he has paid back €44,000.
Judge Martin Nolan remanded Carey in custody last Friday after hearing evidence of his offence as well as the victim impact statement from two victims.
One victim, businessman Denis O’Brien, gave Carey more than €125,000 as well as accommodation and transport. He said Carey returned time and again looking for financial help.
The judge said Carey had exploited people’s good nature.
Carey pleaded guilty back in July to ten counts of dishonestly inducing people to pay him money for cancer treatment.
A further eight counts were taken into consideration at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin. The court also heard that Carey had told most of his victims that he was receiving treatment for cancer in Seattle.
Judge Nolan described Carey as a “formidable sportsman in both hurling and handball, one of the best-known hurlers ever and known across the hurling world."
He said the people who gave him money were “good-natured people who wanted to help a person in need."
A Garda investigation found that there was no record of Carey, who won five All-Ireland titles and nine All-Stars, of ever having cancer, or of ever being treated abroad.
