A VICTIM of an alleged international property scam told a jury yesterday that he was “displeased to say the least” when he discovered the vendor “didn’t own a blade of grass in Turkey and we didn’t own a house”.
Giving evidence at the Belfast Crown Court trial of Kevin Eugene O’Kane (52), the first of his seven alleged victims told the jury that Mr O’Kane claimed he was selling holiday villas in the sunshine resort of Gumbet in Turkey for £75,000.
Mr O’Kane, Ballyneese Road, Portglenone, Co Antrim, denies 27 charges of obtaining property and money transfers by deception and one of using a false instrument on various dates between August 8th, 2005, and April 13th, 2007.
The charges cover seven alleged victims who, the prosecution alleges, were duped into paying more than £500,000 in total for the purchase of properties in Gumbet as part of “a scam and a trick”.
Yesterday John Moore jnr told the court that he, his wife and her parents clubbed together to buy No 9 Golden Beach Villas while his parents arranged to buy No 8 after Mr O’Kane came to his family home and told them “he was the landowner and that he was selling the houses”.
He said they initially put down a “refundable deposit” of £25,000 in June 2006. Then, after visiting Turkey the following month and seeing the property they were supposedly buying, they paid the rest of the money.
Mr Moore said that by the start of 2007, there was no sign of promised rental income or deeds “so we started to feel a bit nervous”. He said Mr O’Kane then provided him with deeds which it transpired were fake.The trial continues.