Last chance for man who owes €20,000

THE statement of his means offered by a debtor did not impress Judge Miriam Walsh as a construction site foreman was grilled about his finances in the witness box at Wexford District Court.

James Sinnott of Barrystown, Wellingtonbridge faced questioning from solicitor Eric Furlong acting on behalf of creditor Declan Browne who was owed €20,000.

The witness accepted that he had €2,000 in the bank and that he had a 2011 registered Peugeot 508 as well as use of a company van for work purposes.

It also emerged that he had no mortgage outstanding on the three-bedroomed bungalow where he lives.

The house, he told the court, was built by the company in 2003 or 2004, when he was out of the country, living in Australia.

Mr Furlong reviewed the performance of the firm, of which Sinnott is a director.

The solicitor noted that the debtor’s brother and father had received interest free loans from the enterprise while it had also paid off €190,000 debt.

Sinnott explained that he supported his partner who is five years sick and unemployed.

He said he was paid €700 weekly for his work five days a week as foreman and he offered to pay €25 per week to his creditor Browne in instalments.

This did not satisfy Mr Furlong who described the statement of means submitted by the debtor as complete fiction.

He felt that Sinnott could take out a credit union loan and discharge the debt in one sum.

Judge Walsh was also not happy with the statement of means which was not furnished until shortly before the court sitting and which came without vouching documents.

She described the offer of €25 weekly as derisory felt that no real effort was being made to deal with the matter.

Sinnott was granted two weeks to come up with something more realistic.

He was warned that he was in the last chance saloon as the matter was adjourned to November 5.