Man, 24, facing jail after spending £6,000 of dead neighbour's money on pepperoni pizzas

A man is facing jail after spending £6,000 of his dead neighbour’s savings on pepperoni pizzas.

Robert Sharkey kept Marie Conlon’s death a secret from everyone and used debit cards he found in her flat.

Over two years, the 24-year-old, of Grays Hill, Bangor, bought a nine-inch pepperoni pizza with anchovies and two cans of juice, spending nearly £6,000.

He has now been told he faces prison after being convicted of 11 charges last month relating to failing to report her death and stealing from her.

The court heard that Sharkey lived above 68-year-old Marie Conlon’s flat in Larkspur Rise, Poleglass, in west Belfast.

She died at her flat in January 2015 and it was only in October that year that Sharkey noticed her post piling up and kicked her door in.

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But instead of telling police, he took some money and went on to memorise details of her bank card.

Ms Conlon’s pension was still being paid into her bank account because everyone except Sharkey was unaware of her death and he continued to pay the bills on her flat to avoid detection.

The court in total he defrauded £11,700 from Ms Conlon’s estate, including the pizzas.

Staff at Dominos were so used to his regular order that they referred to him as the “Fish Guy”.

Sharkey is due to be sentenced next week and has been told a prison sentence is “almost inevitable”.