Former Navan resident jailed for romance fraud

A former Navan resident who deceived a young Co Louth widow into giving him over €140,000 was jailed for five years at Drogheda Circuit Court.

Thirty two year old Peter McDonagh, Melville Way, Finglas, Dublin 11 and Reask Court Navan pleaded guilty to dishonestly by deception inducing the woman to transfer amounts of between €2,000 and €10,000 to him on dates throughout 2024.

The court heard the victim first met Peter McDonagh at her husband's wake in September 2023 where he claimed to have been a friend of her late husband.

The married father of three also claimed to be an orphan and single.

The court heard the victim and defendant started communicating and by January 2024 she believed they were in a genuine romantic relationship.

The court heard he first asked her for money in January 2024 when she gave him €2,000 for a car as he said his car had been taken by the gardai and he had no where to sleep.

The victim transferred further amounts to Peter McDonagh after he claimed he needed money to cover family funeral expenses, reconstruct his father's grave and pay off debts to what he said were dangerous people.

He also received €17,000 from the victim in July 2024 claiming he needed it to pay for cancer treatment in Birmingham.

At the time he was on holiday in Barcelona with his wife and children.

On each occasion the defendant had told her he would pay the money back saying he was due an insurance pay out.

The court heard the victim had met the defendant's wife at Dublin airport in October 2024 and she told the victim they had been holidaying in Ireland, the U.K and Spain on her money.

The victim later confronted the defendant who then told her there was no insurance claim and he had no money.

He promised to repay the money in installments but never did.

The victim then contacted the gardai and the defendant was arrested at Dublin airport in February 2025 as he was about to board a one way flight to Manchester.

The court heard that when gardai examined the defendant's bank accounts they were empty and none of the complainant's money was recovered.

In a victim impact statement the young woman said she suffers severe anxiety, no longer feels safe and is unable to work.

She said she now lives with financial strain as the money she had was intended for her young daughter's future.

Judge Sinéad McMullan was told that Peter McDonagh was a former member of Drogheda Amateur Boxing Club and a one time juvenille Leinster boxing champion but had to give up the sport when he was 17 after suffering a fractured skull during a Navan feud.

He had written a letter of apology for his actions and a number of testimonials including a reference from Meath Travellers Workshop were handed into court on his behalf by defence barrister Eoghan Fagan BL.

Judge McMullan noted the gravity of the offending and the harm caused.

'This was a sustained course of offending involving multiple sums of money', she said.

'Words are cheap and he made no effort to repay' , the judge added.

Judge McMullan sentenced the defendant to five years and three months with the final three months suspended for three years.