Hurling legend DJ Carey has been remanded in custody pending his sentence on Monday after admitting he dishonestly induced 13 people to pay him sums to fund treatment for cancer which he did not have. Other counts related to about nine more people will be taken into account.

Judge Martin Nolan said today he would give his sentence decision on Monday at 1pm but Carey could expect a custodial sentence.

The judge said he wanted to compliment people who responded to Carey in what they thought was his hour of need. Everyone understand how they feel now, but it is not foolish to be generous when someone is thought to be in distress, he said.

The total sums obtained by Carey from more than 20 people, including businessman Denis O’Brien, were €394,127 and US$13,000 US dollars. Of that, €44,200 was repaid, leaving the outstanding sum at €349,927 and US$13,000.

In a victim impact statement, Mr O’Brien said he had got hundreds of requests over years from other people for support and was never defrauded by any of them.

“To my embarrassment, I was completely duped by DJ Carey,” he said.

Thomas Butler, who gave Carey more than €16,000, said the fact Carey used cancer as a means to obtain money under a false pretense “was gut wrenching personally for me as both my parents died of cancer”.

“I was also a volunteer driver for the Irish Cancer Society and there he was obtaining money by lying that he needed finance to obtain life saving cancer treatment,” said Mr Butler.

Thomas Butler, who gave evidence in the DJ Carey sentence hearing, pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on Friday.