"His Reputation Has Been Destroyed": DJ Carey Jailed For Five And A Half Years

DJ Carey was sentenced to five and a half years in prison on Monday for defrauding people after fraudulently claiming he needed money for cancer treatment.

It is an astonishing fall from grace for the man once deemed as the GAA's first 'superstar'.

The sentencing hearing began last Friday and the court heard that Carey defrauded 22 people for nearly €400,000. Only €44,000 of that amount has been repaid.

The sentence was issued by Judge Martin Nolan.

"He exploited the good nature of others," Judge Martin Nolan told the courtroom while delivering the sentence.

"Mr Carey exploited the good nature of people, he knew a lot of these people."

He added: "His reputation has been destroyed. It will be a tough life for him when he comes out of jail. What he did was grossly wrong."

Carey reportedly showed no emotion when the sentence was read in the courtroom.

Carey had pleaded guilty to 10 counts of fraud at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in July.

The former Kilkenny player entered a guilty plea to ten counts when appearing in court on 2 July.

Carey pleaded guilty to falsely claiming that he had cancer and then fraudulently seeking money to pay for treatment.

The accusations dated from January 1 2014 - December 31st, 2022.

Of the 10 counts that Carey pleaded guilty to in July, 13 complainants were listed. They included businessman Denis O'Brien, former Clare hurler Tony Griffin as well as Owen and Ann Conway, Mark and Sharon Kelly, Aidan Mulligan, Christy Browne, Thomas Butler, Jeffrey Howes, Noel Tynan, Edwin Carey and Aonghus Leydon.

DJ Carey is one of the greatest hurlers of all-time. He grew up around Gowran, Co, Kilkenny and played for the Young Irelands club Carey won five All-Irelands during a decorated career with Kilkenny.

He was described as the GAA's first superstar by many.

DJ Carey represented the Kilkenny senior hurling team from 1989 to 2006.

Throughout his 17-year-long playing stint, Carey won multiple awards both with Kilkenny and as an individual.

As a player, the now 52-year-old won five All-Ireland medals, 10 Leinster medals, 4 league titles 9 All-Star awards, and was named Texaco Hurler of the Year in 1993 and 2000.

The Kilkenny man has been included/voted onto multiple teams made up of the greats of the sport. He was included on the Kilkenny Hurling Team of the Century in 2000.

He has also been named as full forward in the Leinster Hurling team of the last 25 years (1984-2009)

The Kilkenny legend retired from intercounty hurling in 2006 after registering 138 national league and championship appearances for the Cats.

Although stepping away from playing, Carey was involved in team management and coaching.

He trained the Young Irelands junior hurling team, as well as coaching the hurling team at Carlow Institute of Technology.

After having a go at managing hurling teams he has also managed the Kilkenny minor footballers.

Carey had a brief stint working on Newstalk's Off The Ball show in 2015.

Carey was a selector for Brian Cody and Kilkenny in the 2019 season, which saw them lose to Tipperary in the All-Ireland final

Carey's son Mikey Carey is a member of the Kilkenny senior hurling panel.

Denis Joseph Carey was born on November 11, 1970. He was born into a large family, with three brothers and three sisters who were all sports-mad.

One of his brothers, Martin was a part of the Kilkenny hurling panel for a period of time, whilst his sister Catriona Carey was also heavily involved in sports.

Catriona was a member of the Ireland women's national field hockey team, as well as being a part of the Kilkenny camogie senior team.

The Kilkenny legend married his first wife Christine in the 1990s, and had two children together.

The pair split in 2003, making headlines in the Irish media right before the All-Ireland final. The couple divorced a year later in 2004, but are said to have remained friends.