TWO farmers each paid fines of £1,000 in court yesterday for their roles in a botched cattle scam at marts involving the use of forged bank drafts.
In November, Martin Murray (28), of Crumlin Little, Dunkerrin, Birr, Co Offaly, and John Ryan (36), of Ballinvana, Toomevara, Co Tipperary, pleaded guilty to handling 64 cattle in December 1993 knowing them to have been stolen.
A third man, Malachy Montague (51), of Carland Road, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, pleaded guilty to four charges of forging bank drafts for £15,000 and £20,000 drawn on the Bank of Ireland in Cavan and in Granard with intent to defraud.
Judge Kieran O'Connor had imposed five year suspended sentences on all three men at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and directed that the £1,000 fines be paid by the three within six months.
He also directed that a proportion of each fine, plus £20,000 and a £15,000 bank draft found in the car of the South Armagh criminal who organised the fraud, be paid to two cattle marts which were the official victims in the case. The balance of the fines was to go to the Heart Foundation.