‘I don’t trust him’: Judge refuses to bail ex-Irish League and GAA goalkeeper who is serial fraudster

Former Irish League and GAA goalkeeper Kieran Gordon is charged with four dishonesty offences, including making off without payment, and three of fraud by false representation.

He is alleged to have committed the crimes on dates between April 9 and December 15 last year.

Refusing to bail Gordon, from Loughinisland Road in Downpatrick, Craigavon Magistrates Court District Judge Michael Ranaghan said: “I do not trust him, and the big thing about bail is trust.

“I have no faith in him. He may well go on the run given those related cases.”

Previous courts were told the former goalkeeper had made off without paying a £340 bill after a two night-stay at a cottage in Rostrevor.

A fee of £120 was also left unpaid.

The three fraud charges relate to two Mac Books and a £1,200 watch.

In each instance, the victims had advertised their property for sale online, and were not paid after selling the items.

In an incident on November 14, Gordon is alleged to have met a woman in the car park of the Kennedy Centre and claimed to have transferred her £2,000 for an Apple Macbook.

After she left, he went inside and sold the computer in a branch of CEX.

Gordon was arrested on suspicion of the offences in March this year.

In court on Friday, a detective said there were five bench warrants out for the defendant when he was detained.

PSNI officers found him at his girlfriend’s address “hiding in a wardrobe, further attempting to evade police”.

The detective said he was aware Gordon was finishing a nine-month jail sentence that day but that police objected to him being freed on bail because he could abscond or commit offences.

The fraudster was jailed last April after he entered guilty pleas to two counts of driving while disqualified and single charges of driving with no insurance, driving with no licence, making off without paying, obtaining services dishonestly and fraud by false representation.

In those cases, Gordon left two unpaid hotel bills and duped someone into selling their iPhone by showing them a fake screenshot of a bank transfer and then blaming a “slow bank account” when the funds were not transferred.

In court on Friday, a proposed bail address at a rental property owned by his father was provided.

The judge was told the fraudster had been offered a job with a roofing contractor.

But the detective said Gordon had two other cases before the court — one for no insurance, and one for harassment.

He also said “a file has been prepared for offences similar to this behaviour”.

Gordon was remanded back into custody until August 16.