'Broke' CAB target David Waldron hosts €5k christening bash at hotel for 100 guests

CAB is fighting a decision to give gangster David Waldron and his wife free legal aid in a battle over €2.9 million of unexplained wealth, saying the couple misled the court.

At the latest CAB hearing this week, it was heard how the Court of Appeal sent the Waldron case back after new evidence of the couple's income and spending was found.

The couple also claimed pandemic unemployment payments they were not entitled to, and Waldron was dealing in cars, according to CAB.

Waldron denied claims he was selling cars, saying one vehicle advertised online belonged to his eight-year-old son. He also said their PUP claims were made properly, according to his counsel.

CAB had appealed the decision in 2020 to grant Waldron and his wife Charlene, who has no involvement in crime, free legal aid in their legal fight over their assets.

Waldron and his brother Christopher 'Git', were close associates of infamous gang boss Eamon 'The Don' Dunne, along with brothers Wayne and Alan 'Fatpuss' Bradley.

Christopher is also the subject to a proceeds of crime case being taken by CAB.

David Waldron and Charlene were accused this week of failing to come clean about their income as details of the new evidence was heard in court.

Both sides put in affidavits to the court with CAB saying the couple claimed €700 a week PUP payments but made no reference in their application to rental income they had declared.

Further investigation uncovered evidence of car trading which included one occasion when Waldron was alleged stopped by gardai in a UK-registered car which he told officers he was selling.

Adverts offering cars for sale on Done Deal were also linked to him, the court heard.

Waldron said they belonged to other people, including his young son, who had done work on the car, it was claimed.

There were also ads for box-hedging and e-bikes for sale.

The couple bought a €23,000 Land Rover in March 2020 which was paid for with €5,000 in cash, €4,500 from a Credit Union loan and the rest was financed.

While the couple had declared one pony in their statement of assets and income, CAB found there were "other ponies" they owned.

Then in April this year, a christening party was held at a hotel where the venue was paid €5,000 in cash.

Counsel for CAB said other expenses would have been included for the party at which two bands and a DJ played for the 100 guests.

The couple were playing "cat and mouse with the court" and their replies in affidavits do not explain their wealth but are just "bald assertions", it was heard.

Counsel for the Waldrons argued that they explained all the new allegations apart from the christening to which they have not yet had time to respond.

He said there was nothing to show their means had "dramatically changed" since 2019.

Counsel for CAB said the evidence shows the couple are in a position to generate a serious amount of cash and that the court has been "misled."

Judge Alex Owens said he has "to be careful with public money" and would consider the arguments, adjourning the hearing to next month.

The case against David Waldron centres around three properties in Dublin, Kildare and Wexford, including 'Darview', a luxury mansion.

CAB says the three properties were purchased with the proceeds of crime and Waldron has failed to adequately explain a credible alternative source for the money.

It was previously heard how he had purchased a property in Glenties Park, Finglas, in September 2001 and then invested in a second property in River Forest, Leixlip, Co Kildare, before building Darview in Co Wexford for €1.6 million.

The Darview build involved six different cash transfers using four different people.

The 3,000 sq ft mansion in Wexford has its own bar, with a pool table as well as a gym, and views looking out over valleys in the Wexford countryside.

Waldron's wife Charlene, who has no involvement in crime, successfully applied to be seen as a partial owner of Darview, and said she had paid for her share through legitimate means. The Leixlip property had €315,000 in renovations carried out on it while another property in Cabra saw €633,000 spent on it, according to CAB.

During a previous hearing, it emerged that CAB officers followed the financial trail back decades to show Waldron never had enough cash to pay for his properties.

Waldron, who had spent a number of years in prison or on social welfare, would have had to save most of his €18,000 dole money in 2001 to have the savings he claimed to use to buy his first house. CAB suspects Waldron is still earning money from criminality, the court heard.

Waldron, through his lawyers, denied the CAB claims that his money came from drugs and said that his income came through legal means.

His lawyers previously said that his current income from rental properties and Charlene's business is not enough to pay for a legal defence of his case against CAB.

CAB is also going after Waldron's brother Christopher, seeking to take two watches worth €20,000 from him as well as houses in Cabra and Finglas.