Police hunt James John O'Driscoll, the conman who scammed pensioners out of £119,708 and went on the run
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Police hunt James John O'Driscoll, the conman who scammed pensioners out of £119,708 and went on the run

"SHODDY work for high prices" - that's how Irish conman James John O'Driscoll made a six-figure fortune. 

According to investigating officers from Zephyr, the organised crime unit in the south west of Britain, the 34 year old member of the Travelling community, operated across the south Gloucestershire and Bristol area offering driveway and patio cleaning and repairs to trusting pensioners.

He made a six figure sum from his driveway and patio scam, amounting to £119,708, operating under the aliases of Michael Buckley, Patrick Ronan and Patrick Crumlish.

In November 2013, Mr O'Driscoll was convicted of "false representation and obtaining pecuniary advantage."

At his hearing in Bristol Crown Court, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Judge Michael Roche also made an order of confiscation at the trial - meaning Mr O'Driscoll had to pay back the sum of his ill-gotten gains, all £119,708 with additional interest.

Mr O'Driscoll was warned that failure to repay the money would result in a mandatory three-year prison sentence.

In June 2014, a warrant was issued for Mr O'Driscoll's arrest when, it's thought by police, he fled to Finland.

He paid just £25,032.70 of the scam money he owed.

As of February this year and with interest, he still owes a total of £108,166.92

Zephyr, the south west Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), relaunched efforts earlier this year in order to locate Mr O'Driscoll.

ROCU deal with offenders who have defaulted on confiscation orders imposed at court.

Zephyr work alongside Her Majesty's Courts and the Tribunals Service to issue arrest warrants, which were executed at the homes of offenders across the UK.

In cases like Mr O'Driscoll's where the offender has fled abroad, Zephyr continue to pursue offenders using the powers available to them, including the use of European Arrest Warrants.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mr O'Driscoll should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.