Dead Neighbour’s Debit Card: The last time Marie Conlon’s neighbours remembered seeing her was sometime in January 2015 – it wasn’t until October 2017 when police found her decayed remains that they knew she’d died.
As she had no family it seems no one had any idea she’d passed – well no one except for Robert Sharkey.
The normal thing to do when discovery a deceased neighbour would be to report it to the police.
But not Robert, 24, he decided to break into his neighbour’s home and steal her bank cards – which he went on to use to buy food and pay bills until Marie was discovered by police.
He used her mondey to order £5,988.39 ($7,823) worth of Domino’s pizza, buy £3,279.80 ($4,284) worth of food at Sainsbury’s, buy £1,030 ($1,345) worth of credit for his cell phone, and to pay his £285 ($372) power bill.
The only allegation he did deny was stealing a second debit card from Marie’s Belfast flat.
Judge Geoffrey Miller QC, requested more time to consider the denial of the second theft, as well as to decide whether the court would prosecute him for breaking and entering, in addition to the other charges against him.
When Marie’s body was discovered a Sinn Fein representative, Alex Maskey, said: “It’s very sad a person has ended their days in this nature and I know the family have been quite distressed by it all.
“I’m told she led a very quiet, private life over the last number of years, which obviously has contributed to the fact she’s lain so long.”
Marie was finally laid to rest last October during a memorial mass that was held for her at St. Oliver Plunkett Church in Belfast. She was buried at Milltown Cemetery the same day.
Sharkey will be sentenced in October.
