Irishman Karl Smith was anxiously waiting for his pay for two days' work when a windfall fell into his lap. He was only expecting €196.36 (£171) but a whopping €19,639 (£17K) was transferred into his bank account.
The 19-year-old went on a spree, blowing all the cash in three weeks on drugs, partying, a PS3 and a new bed. Presumably it's quite hard to spend 20 grand in three weeks so you just start splurging on household furniture. Who knows?
Poor Karl had assumed it was a banking error but in fact his former employees had overpaid his wages.
Credit: Creative Commons
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When his employers realised that they had hugely overpaid him, they tried to get in contact on the phone. When Karl refused to pick up, they sent solicitor letters to the bank and got the police involved. He didn't want to admit that he had also actually spent all the money...on a bed.
Unfortunately for Karl, the law caught up with him. Shaun Smith BL, his lawyer, explained that Karl had been feeling low and hadn't been in the right frame of mind when the money came into his bank account. He was in €1,000 (£873) of drug debt and addicted to cocaine.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison, with the last two suspended. The court found out Karl has seven previous convictions, including theft, assault, making threats and criminal damage.
So far, Karl hasn't managed to pay them back and it's not clear if he got to keep his PS3 and new bed.
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Words by Laura Hamilton
Featured Image Credit: Creative CommonsTopics: Money