Dolla woman's online theft is described as 'nasty type of offence' by judge

A woman who set up a fashion accessory website but failed to deliver items to customers has been placed on a probation bond by Judge Elizabeth MacGrath at Nenagh District Court.

Linda Caplis of Traverstown, Dolla, a widow with six children, had pleaded not guilty to four offences under the Theft and Fraud Act on December 2, 2020.

However, she was found guilty at Nenagh District Court in September 2022 and ordered by Judge MacGrath to pay full compensation and witnesses’ expenses.

Ms Caplis had run a website called Munster Bling.

When the case came back to court last Friday, Judge McGrath was told that full compensation of €445 had been paid to the victims, along with €444 in witness expenses.

Ms Caplis’s solicitor, Elizabeth McKeever, told the court her client had no previous convictions.

“She had not known what she was getting into. She was the author of her own misfortune,” said Ms McKeever.

Judge MacGrath placed Ms Caplis on a 12-month probation bond of €250, commenting that Ms Caplis had engaged in a "nasty type of offence".

At the original court hearing last September, Ms Caplis’s victims recounted how they had bought handbags and other items which they had never received.

Alison Darcy had said that she contacted Munster Bling and bought a handbag for €50, plus €8 postage. However, when the handbag never arrived she contacted the site to inform them but discovered she was blocked.

Stephanie O’Shaughnessy said that she ordered a handbag for €50, plus €8 postage, and was asked to say it was a purchase by a friend to avoid Ms Caplis having to pay tax.

She never received the bag or her money back.

Lisa Buckley told the court that she ordered a handbag and paid €60. She never got the bag.

Joanna O’Sullivan had ordered three handbags and a pair of pyjamas and handed over €300.

In her evidence, Ms Caplis had said that she was a widow with six children. She had worked as a health care assistant but was not working in 2020 during Covid.

She had bought items from a website for €2,270 and they had been shipped to her from Turkey. The bags had cost her €25 and she could make €25 or €30 on each sale, but she said she had actually lost money on the venture.

She had accepted none of the four women had received their parcels and were out of pocket.

She hadn’t been able to refund the four victims because she had lost the addresses when her Paypal account was shut down.

Her Facebook account had also been shut down.