Accused left East Cork hotel after running up a bill for €987

A former medical device engineer who ran up a “very significant bill” during a three-night stay at an East Cork hotel has been ordered to pay compensation or face a year in prison.

Court presenter Sergeant Majella O’Sullivan told Youghal District Court that Peter White, aged 57, with an address at Travelodge, Kinsale Road, Cork had been staying at Aherne’s Townhouse in Youghal, Co Cork in April 2024.

The court was told that Mr White ran up a bill of €987 during his three-night stay which included accommodation, food, and drink. He left the hotel on April 28, 2024, without paying the bill.

The court heard that Mr White also drove to Forde’s Circle K in Youghal where he filled his BMW X3 with €20 worth of diesel and also took a coffee worth €3.30 and left the premises without paying for the fuel or the drink.

Defence solicitor James Moore said Mr White “cannot really explain this offending”.

He said that Mr White was facing “a number of similar matters” that he was “trying to clear”.

He said that his client was previously a medical device engineer for 10 years and was a “well qualified man.” He said Mr White had pleaded guilty and would need four weeks to repay the money.

Judge Brian O’Shea said he regarded such offending as “grievous”. He said: “He’s not going to walk from this one 15 months later. It’s outrageous to run up a bill of nearly a grand and just walk away.”

The judge added that it was a “very significant bill” that would cause any small local business difficulty if it wasn’t paid. The judge said that Mr White had 15 months to pay back the monies owed but had “done nothing”.

James White was ordered to pay €1,500 compensation to the injured parties to be divided on a pro-rata basis.

He was also sentenced to a total of one year in prison suspended for 18 months on the condition the compensation is paid. He was remanded on bail to appear again in a month’s time to confirm the compensation was paid.

• This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.