An online fraudster who duped 26 music fans out of almost €8,000 worth of non-existent concert tickets for Electric Picnic, Arianna Grande and Hugh Jackman has walked free from court.

At Ennis District Court on Wednesday, Judge Patricia Harney told Aaron Moran (31) said that she was giving him his very last chance before placing him on a Probation Bond for 12 months.

Mr Moran committed 11 of his most recent offences while on bail where he duped 11 people to pay him €3,295 on Electric Picnic tickets that didn’t exist.

On July 25th last, Katie Cassidy paid over €750 to Mr Moran for non-existent Electric Picnic tickets while a number of other Electric Picnic fans paid Mr Moran €250 each for the non-existent tickets.

Mr Moran told the court today: “I’m incredibly sorry for anyone I have hurt in the past.”

Before Wednesday's court, Mr Moran had been in Limerick prison since August when he was remanded in custody after breaching his bail conditions by duping the people concerning the fictitious Electric Picnic tickets.

Judge Patricia Harney said that justice would not be served by a custodial sentence in the case and said that she went along with the recommendations of the Probation Service report where Mr Moran can get receive the appropriate treatment to deal with his gambling addiction.

Judge Harney said that there is no realistic hope that the people will ever get their money back.

Mr Moran formerly of Aisling Gael Guesthouse, Limerick Rd, Ennis pleaded guilty to the July Electric Picnic offences having earlier pleaded guilty in April to three offences contrary to Section 6 of the Criminal Justice Theft and Fraud Offences Act.

Those three offences related to Mr Moran duping three people to lodge monies totalling €1,160 to accounts in his name.

Mr Moran falsely claimed to have tickets for Electric Picnic, Fleetwood Mac and Arianna Grande for sale.

In February 2019, Mr Moran pleaded guilty to eight other deception charges that saw €1,952 lodged to his accounts for non-existent tickets.

These deceptions related to Mr Moran falsely claiming to people that he had tickets for Shania Twain, Hugh Jackman, Longitude, Post Malone and the Electric Picnic.

Mr Moran’s February and April cases had been adjourned to allow him time pay money back to the victims of his deception.

As part of his bail conditions, Mr Moran agreed to not to have any online activity including advertising non-existent concert tickets and any gambling.

However, Mr Moran breached his bail conditions in August by "posting for sale Electric Picnic tickets he does not possess on the online platform, Gumtree”.

Mr Moran is a gambling addict and solicitor for Mr Moran, John Casey previously told the court that Mr Moran's activities “arise from his gambling addiction and court appearances where he agreed to pay back certain sums of money”.

Mr Casey said that where Mr Moran wasn’t able to raise monies to pay back his victims, he would re-offend.

Mr Casey said: “He was robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Mr Casey said: “This is a young man with no family support, no nothing. He is determined to pay back all the people.”

Online Editors