Accused ‘bought £6,000 of pizzas using dead woman’s bank card’
A MAN charged with buying nearly £6,000 worth of Domino’s Pizzas using a bank card stolen from his dead west Belfast neighbour has had his case sent to Belfast Crown Court.
Robert Sharkey (24) has been charged with 11 offences arising from the discovery of the remains of pensioner Marie Conlon, whose body had lain undiscovered for around two years.
The 68-year-old’s body was eventually found in the bedroom of her Larkspur Rise flat last October.
Sharkey, who at the time of the discovery was a neighbour of Ms Conlon, was arrested and subsequently charged with preventing the lawful burial of a corpse between August 2015 and October 2017.
He was also charged with two counts of burglary — namely breaking into Ms Conlon’s property and stealing her Bank of Ireland debit card, and stealing batteries, tools and a coffee mug on a separate occasion.
Formerly from west Belfast but now living at a bail address in north Down, Sharkey also faces two theft charges — stealing Ms Conlon’s First Trust Bank debit card and £50 cash.
In addition, Sharkey faces six separate offences of fraud by false representation, which are linked to the alleged usage of the stolen bank cards.
One of the fraud charges alleges that Sharkey used one of the stolen cards to “purchase pizzas and other foodstuffs” amounting to £5,988.39 from Domino’s Pizzas, on dates between October 2015 and October 2017.
He appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday for a preliminary enquiry. Represented by Matt Higgins of HHD Solicitors, Sharkey nodded his head to confirm he understood the nature of the charges again him.
The accused then shook his head again when he was asked if he “wished to say anything in answer to the charges”.
A prosecutor told District Judge Greg McCourt that she believed there was a case to answer, which he accepted.
Mr McCourt then told Sharkey his case was being returned to Belfast Crown Court for arraignment, before granting him continuing police bail.