Car dealer in the Midlands pleads guilty to selling stolen tractor for €25,000

A car dealer in the Midlands at the centre of a multi-million euro tax judgement has pleaded guilty to three counts of handling stolen property and of duping a man into purchasing a stolen tractor for €25,000.

John Alex Kane (48) Cartron, Granard, Co Longford entered the guilty pleas at a sitting of Longford Circuit Criminal Court this afternoon (Tuesday).

Mr Kane, who was released from jail last March after serving a two-month sentence for breaches of court orders in relation to a receiver’s attempts to satisfy a €4.9 million judgement the Revenue secured in 2009 over the non-payment of tax on car sales, had been due to go on trial with a co-accused tomorrow.

However, at the opening of proceedings before Judge Kenneth Connolly earlier today, Niall Flynn BL, for Mr Kane, said his client would be tendering guilty pleas to four counts on the indictment before the court.

They included three counts of handling stolen property, namely a New Holland TM155 tractor, a John Deere 6220 tractor and a UK registered Toyota Hilux jeep.

Three of the four offences took place at Rathcronan, Granard, Co Longford on dates between January and April 2018 while the deception charge occurred between January 1 2018 and February 1 2018 at a location within the State.

Judge Connolly was told Mr Kane was entering the pleas on the first three counts on the basis of recklessness.

Mr Kane also pleaded guilty to making gain or causing loss by deception induced an individual to purchase a stolen John Deere 6620 tractor for €25,000.

The accused, who was wearing a blue hoodie and matching blue trousers, stood silently in the body of the court after entering guilty pleas to each of the charges.

Mr Flynn said he would be making any application for probation reports or similar such evaluations to be carried out on his client at this juncture.

He did, however, request for the case to be adjourned to allow for the submission of a "substantial amount of mitigation" in what was a "complex investigation".

Judge Connolly agreed to that application and remanded Mr Kane on continuing bail to a sitting of Longford Circuit Criminal Court on May 9.