INTERNATIONAL showjumper Michael Kearins ‘broke a young girl’s heart’ when he sent her family a pony inferior to the one they had agreed to buy, a court heard on Thursday.

Kearins (36) of Knockbeg, Collooney, Co Sligo who was convicted of deception on April 1st last, was fined €11,000 at Sligo Circuit Court.

Judge Francis Comerford said one of the most unpleasant aspects of the case was the defendant’s claim, which he now accepts was untrue, that the complainant’s wife said she would accept a different pony to the one her husband had agreed to buy.

The accused was found guilty by a majority verdict last April after a jury heard that Donegal-born businessman Sean Ewing had agreed to buy two ponies Teddy and Buddy off him, but that when Buddy was no longer available, a “dead ringer” but inferior pony called Spot was delivered to his Majorca home.

Kearins had pleaded not guilty to a charge of deception between August 24th 2012 and October 19th 2012.

In a statement after the sentencing Mr Ewing said that the complaint was never about money. “It was about holding Kearins to account for his years of avoidance, after executing a blatant fraud, whilst placing an innocent child at risk.”

Patrick O’Sullivan, BL for Michael Kearins, told Judge Francis Comerford that his client now fully accepted the verdict and accepted that at no time was Mrs Terry Ewing willing to accept “any horse sight unseen” as he had claimed in his evidence to the trial. Counsel said his client was remorseful and wanted to apologise.

The accused, who provided €17,000 in compensation to the court last week, paid in a further €3,000 on Thursday.

The five-day trial had heard that Mr and Mrs Ewing had got in touch with the accused in the summer of 2012 when they were in Ireland and wanted to buy two ponies for their young daughters. After seeing two ponies Teddy and Buddy three times, and testing them out, they had agreed to purchase both animals which were to be delivered to their Majorca home.

Sense of loss

In her victim impact statement Mrs Ewing said the accused had broken a young girl’s heart and that to this day her daughter felt a sense of loss and sadness over what might have been “and now no longer rides”.

In his victim impact statement read to the court, Sean Ewing said he would never forget the dismay of his wife and the devastation of his two daughters on the day that the “switched pony” arrived in Majorca.

He said the fact that this pony could hardly walk only supported the level of deceit that the accused was prepared to go to “in extorting me and my family” regardless of the emotional hurt or “potential danger” to his children.

Mr Ewing estimated the losses he had incurred at €24,687 when transport, veterinary and livery costs were included.

Mr O’Sullivan told the court that Kearins actions were not premeditated and he accepted in hindsight he should not have sent the other pony.

He told Judge Comerford that Kearins was still in possession of the two ponies Teddy and Spot and he said he wanted to donate them to a charity for children with disabilities.

The court heard that the accused had been involved with horses since leaving school, as a show jumper and also training and selling horses.

Detective Garda Joseph Scanlon who investigated the case said Mr Ewing had made a complaint on November 1st 2012 but he had not managed to make contact with the accused until June 2017 when he was home for a family funeral.

Judge Comerford said Kearins was entitled to some credit for paying €20,000 in compensation. He also noted that the accused had no previous convictions. Imposing a fine of €11,000, he gave 30 months to pay.