Former golf tournament operator in court on deception charges

David McMahon given bail in relation to charges involving sums understood to be close to €1m

The case of a former golf tournament operator charged with committing deception was in court on Monday. Photograph: iStock
The case of a former golf tournament operator charged with committing deception was in court on Monday. Photograph: iStock

A former golf tournament operator charged with committing deception, including false instrument, totalling close to a million euro has been remanded on bail to appear before a Kerry court later this month.

David McMahon (41) was arrested on foot of six arrest warrants at Dublin Airport last Thursday and appeared before a special sitting of Cork District Court last Friday.

Judge Treasa Kelly had remanded him in custody for the weekend to appear before the court on Monday. Det Sgt Ernest Henderson had told the court that Mr McMahon made no reply when the six charges were put to him under caution in Tralee Garda station in the early hours of last Friday.

The charges involve alleged dishonest inducement by deception and the use a false instrument, to wit a letter, to the prejudice of a person or persons.

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The alleged offences occurred in 2018. Some of the charges related to dishonestly inducing bank managers to lodge money in to Premier Irish Golf Tours Ltd’s account.

Padraig O’Connell told Judge Colm Roberts on Monday that his client was unable to attend court in person as he had been diagnosed with Covid-19. He applied for a remand on bail in the case and said that a relative of the accused was willing to provide an independent surety of €5,000 and a further bond of €5,000.

Judge Roberts warned the family member that if Mr McMahon failed to appear in court or breached the terms of his bail in any way that he would lose his money.

Mr McMahon is subject to stringent bail conditions, including that he sign on daily at Tralee Garda station, be contactable to gardaí by phone 24 hours a day and obey a curfew nightly from 11pm to 6am.

Mr McMahon also had to surrender his passport and agree to reside at the family home in Ashgrove, Ballyvelly, Tralee, Co Kerry.

Judge Roberts remanded Mr McMahon on bail until his next court appearance on August 25th in Tralee District Court. It is anticipated that the book of evidence in the case will be served at that time.

The charges in the case relate to section 6 and 26 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001. They involve individual sums, the smallest which was €30,000 to the largest which involves a sum of €600,000. It is alleged that Mr McMahon dishonestly induced named persons.