Man who extorted over €22,000 from a former classmate is jailed for five and half years

By Sonya McLean

A man who extorted over €22,000 out of former classmate after the victim contacted him to buy a small amount of cannabis has been jailed for five and half years.

Daniel Byrne (26) of Pike Inn Apartments, Camolin, Gorey, Co Wexford, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to making threats to cause serious harm, making unwarranted demands for cash and handling the proceeds of crime on dates between February 2, 2024 and June 6, 2024.

He has a previous conviction for money laundering and was given a suspended sentence for this in January 2023.

He was on this suspended sentence when he began to threaten this man.

His other convictions include possession of drugs, obstruction and threatening and abusive behaviour.

An investigating garda told John Gallagher BL, prosecuting, that a former school friend contacted Byrne to see if he could source cannabis for him for his own use but “it did not go as planned”.

He said very shortly afterwards the man received a threat from Byrne, via Facebook messenger asking the man “who the fuck do you think you are?” and “I kill people for a living”.

He then threatened to harm both the man and his family if he didn’t Revolut him €700.

He said if he got the money “we will let this slide”.

The garda told the court that Byrne implied that he was doing this “at the behest of others” and that he had a connection to others involved in organised crime.

Byrne continued to threaten the man and met him on multiple occasions demanding cash.

At one point, he collected €15,000 from the man having met him in four different locations over a number of days.

Byrne then began to threaten the man’s father, indicating that he knew where this man worked.

He also began to contact the victim at his own workplace.

The victim contacted gardaí in April 2024 after he confided in his father that he was “in trouble and subject to threat”.

A short time after this, Byrne threatened “to cut him up if he didn’t hand over €5,000”.

The garda confirmed that ultimately Byrne managed to get €22,750.

A victim impact statement was handed into court but not read out.

Byrne was arrested and his devices were seized which linked him to the threats and ten transfers from the victim into his Revolut account.

The garda agreed with Keith Spencer BL, defending, that the victim had initiated contact with Byrne looking to buy cannabis.

He acknowledged that Byrne had previously been bundled into a car himself and spent some time in a wheelchair following a fall from a high height.

Mr Spencer said his client instructs that “he was under significant pressure” from others at the time to ask for the cash and he is under protection in custody for his own safety.

He said Byrne’s grandfather, who had acted like a father to him, died in 2012 and this “significant trauma” led him into cannabis and cocaine addiction.

Mr Spencer said Byrne’s partner of three years has a “sobering influence” on him and they have a six-week old baby.

“He is deeply distraught that he was in custody for the birth of his child – he has vowed to put things right in that regard,” Mr Spencer said.

Judge Martin Nolan said that Byrne has made enemies that he has to avoid and acknowledged that his time in prison will be difficult for him.

However, he said these were serious threats that caused total upset to the peace of mind of the victim and their family.

He set a headline sentence of seven and half years before he reduced this to five and half years taking into account mitigating features in the case including Byrne’s pleas of guilty.