Man left Glasshouse Hotel without paying ¤4,000 bedroom bill

A man who spent over ¤20,000 living at the Glasshouse Hotel after his marriage broke down, left the hotel without paying the final ¤4,000.

Noel Earley (53) of Sofia House, Tubbercurry, pleaded guilty at Sligo District Court to making off without paying the hotel a bedroom bill of ¤3,926 after staying ten months there, between 24 th March and 23rd December 2016.

Inspector Donal Sweeney told Judge Kevin Kilrane that Earley was asked by the hotel to settle up his bill on Christmas Eve 2016 and said he would organise payment but left without doing so.

He was arrested by Gardaí and made a full admission, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Mr Gerard McGovern told Judge Kilrane that up to then, Earley had paid ¤20,000 to the hotel for accommodation. He said his client had a “tragic story”. “He was a commercial driver and was injured at work whereby he lost the sight in one eye,” he said. He said Earley couldn’t work as a result of his injury and went through a separation and became homeless.

With the compensation from his work injury, Earley, who had nowhere to live, decided to book into the Glasshouse Hotel where he lived for ten months, paying the nightly rate.

“It went on until Christmas. His money went down the drain,” said Mr McGovern.

He said his client couldn’t get a job because of his eye and was now on Social Welfare.

Judge Kilrane agreed it was “a most unusual case.”

“The money was gone completely,” said Mr McGovern.

Judge Kilrane said the hotel was out some money but he hoped the payment of the ¤20,000 over the ten months had “softened the blow.”

He gave Earley the benefit of the Probation Act.