Galway Bay fm newsroom - A fraudster who sold fake fire-resistant glass to hospital and educational facilities across Ireland, including at NUI Galway, has been jailed for a year.
Between 2010 and 2013, Seamus James Laverty supplied falsely labelled standard laminate glass to almost 70 sites in Ireland and the UK.
Over the course of three years, 58 year old Seamus James Lavery of Deerpark Road, Toomebridge in Northern Ireland sold fake fire-resistant glass for use in schools, hospitals, churches, nursing homes and universities.
Several of these building jobs were in Ireland - including at NUI Galway, which spent 51 thousand euro on the falsely labelled standard laminate glass.
Judge Desmond Marrinan described the risk posed to the public as 'chilling' - and said it was by 'the grace of god' that the fradulent glass had not been put to the test.
Police became aware of the scam in 2012 after a tip-off and subsequently launched an investigation into Glassworks Ireland that saw officers visit over 100 locations in Ireland and the UK.
According to The Times online, a defence lawyer told Antrim crown court that greed was not the motivating factor and the 140 thousand pound fraud was a reaction to financial difficulties.
Judge Marrinan said Mr. Lavery had put children, the eldery, hospital patients and members of the fire service at risk for money - and sentenced him to jail for one year.
