Man charged with concert tickets scam refused bail

Dublin native, John Tomkins (44), of no fixed abode, appeared before the holiday sitting of Galway District Court this week.

He is charged with inducing two women to lodge €200 and €210 respectively into his bank account on dates between January 28 and 30 last for tickets to AC/DC concerts which the women never received.

He is charged with handling the respective amounts of money, knowing they were stolen and with giving false and misleading information regarding the transactions to Garda Paul McNulty at Galway Garda Station on April 18 last.

Tomkins is also charged with damaging a car door at Lurgan Park, Murrough, on June 26 last, and with stealing a suitcase full of men’s clothing worth €300, CDs and a pair of men’s boots worth €40 from the car on the same date.

He is further charged with breaching the peace, by engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour in a public place in relation to the same incident He is also charged with damaging the walls and door of a holding cell at Galway Garda Station on June 26.

Tomkins is further charged with having a torch, latex gloves and two four-inch screws in his possession at a house on Renmore Road on February 14 last with the intention they be used in connection with theft/burglary.

When charged with this offence Tomkins had replied, “What screws? What gloves?”

He was also charged with breaching the peace at Renmore Road during the same incident.

He had replied “No comment. Not guilty you clown,” when that charge was put to him by a Garda.

Tomkins had refused to have the charges relating to the alleged burglary offence dealt with at District Court level on July 1 last and elected for trial instead in the Circuit Criminal Court on that date.

Inspector Kevin Gately told the court this week that a Book of Evidence in relation to that charge was not yet ready as the DPP had directed further investigations be carried out. He applied to have the matter adjourned to September for service of the Book on Tomkins then.

Defence solicitor, Gearoid Geraghty said his client had instructed him to object to the adjournment application and wanted the charge struck out (due to delay).

Judge John King noted from the court file that Tomkins was first charged with the offence on March 2 and the DPP had directed summary disposal (in the District Court) but then on July 1 last, Tomkins had elected for trial in the Circuit Court and on that basis, he said, he was not going to accede to his application to have the charge struck out.

He remanded the accused in custody to October 7 and granted an application made by Insp Gately to extend time for service of the Book of Evidence on that date. Tomkins objected to that application as well.

Mr Geraghty informed the court his client was in custody on all of the other charges as he had been unable to take up bail which had been granted to him by the High Court.

Judge King remanded Tomkins in custody on the remaining charges with consent to bail as set by the High Court to appear before the court again on October 7.