'Shakespearean tragedy... of his own making

THE childhood hurling coach of GAA icon, DJ Carey, has described his stunning fall from grace as a "Shakespearean tragedy".

- BY LYNNE KELLEHER

A visceral mix of bewilderment, betrayal and quiet anger can be seen in almost equal measure on the faces of the fraud victims conned by the Kilkenny forward in a new two-part RTE documentary Widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers of all time, he was jailed for five and a half years in November for defrauding people by falsely claiming he had cancer and needed money for treatment.

There are 22 confirmed victims of DJ Carey's fraud, but it is believed the true number is far higher.

Sitting in an armchair in his home, retired accountant Thomas Butler, who gave the player around €17000 for cancer treatment in the US, is filmed turning a signed hurl from Carey over in his hands "This hurl was made by DJ's brother, he's personally signed it to myself. I will forever treasure this hurl for what it represents, for the greatest hurler of all time", he says sadly.

In the documentary, he also refers to a framed photo-once hung prideof-place in the hallway- of the former Kilkenny captain with his daughter, Bridget, and his niece, Jenny, in the Burlington after the 2003 All-Ireland win as extremely special".

"After what's happened, I couldn't leave it in the hallway anymore. So rather than throw it in the bin, it's still history. So, it's just discreetly put aside in the front room now."

GENTLEMAN

He describes how Carey - who gave Kilkenny fans some of the greatest days of their lives - first approached him for money at the Mount Juliet golf course, where he was a member. "I would have often met DJ up there", he said, adding, "He came across as so honest and truthful, an absolute gentleman that wouldn't know a lie if it bit him." One day, he remembers the hurler describing a "stomach-churning" treatment he was getting in the US.

When he told the accountant, who had recently retired with a lump sum, that he was in a financially bad situation, he handed over €700 or €800 straight away.