Beware of Robbie Boland the conman (Robbie Lynch)

@ sarabyrd: I did not understand your posting to be a moral lesson. I only dare to oppose that ongoing attempts to excuse his pretty obvious wrongdoing.

@ gmooh: Drugs... you have a point there! On the other hand, I met quite a few people who for no obvious reason follow a lifestyle I suppose to be full of stress. Some people are strange.

There is something wrong in this persons head ya hippy. Hes a liar and a thief and he needs to be remanded to authority (gratuitous Oh Brother Where Art Though quote). Seriously, most criminals have something wrong in their head, its usually some variation on Anti-Social Disorder. But screw whats wrong with his head, if he can't control himself taking advantage of good hearted people, then he needs to spend some time in the klink.

That may be true for you personally but you can't apply that across the board. I used to know a guy who made his living solely off conning people and it was more than just making money for him, he got a thrill out of the con. From time to time he'd get a "real job" but they'd never last because he would just get bored.

He was a brilliant, charming, incredibly attractive guy, could have made all sorts of money legally especially if he had gone into sales or something like that but it would never have been enough. I have no idea what he's doing these days but if I had to guess he's probably posing as some rich businessman suckering people into making shady investments, sponging off some older, rich woman. As much as I couldn't stand the guy (fortunately I was never one of his victims, I was given a rare view of how things worked from the inside because I was dating one of his only real friends), I learned a lot about human nature from him.

There were definitely some psychological issues going on there, narcissism being at the forefront but I think he also had a genuine hatred for people, especially priveledged people. He got a real pleasure out of ripping them off.

If only prison were in some way rehabilitative... instead, all too often, it's where small-time crooks learn to hit the big-time and upgrade from petty theft and small cons to armed robbery, murder and so on.

This might be a psychic constellation most fraudsters have in common. But I still dare to say that this does not excuse any of their deeds. The hyperinflation of mental disorders we see nowadays makes it easy to find an excuse for virtually any misdemeanour or crime. Still, except for some quirky motives, most crooks and fraudsters seem pretty sane.

EDIT: gmooh, unfortunately, you are right. But that's another story.

Call me a hippy if you like, lol. But I've done a lot of volunteer work in the past with young offenders. In addition to that, I somehow survived a childhood full of extreme neglect and abuse (we're talking being raped aged 5, among other things). I found that the young offenders I've worked with came from similar backgrounds to mine. And while I didn't go down their route (GBH, armed robbery and so on..)- I actually understand where so many of them are coming from. Indeed, when I was a teenager I had a period where I went shop-lifting stuff from Topshop and WHSmith and I didn't do it because I was broke but rather because I felt soooo angry at the world for what I felt 'society' had stolen from me - ie my innocence, a loving family etc. Of course I wasn't being rational in thinking this way but the feeling was overwhelming. I managed to sort myself out and ended up going to a great university and building a career. But I do understand how criminal conduct can begin in youth and spiral out of control. I never ever look down on criminals because I think given the right (well, wrong...!) circumstances we all have it in us. Until I've walked a mile in a man or woman's shoes I'm not willing to get holier than thou...

PS: I'm not suggesting that ALL criminals were abused as children but from my research the majority actually were. Something like 80% of women currently on Death Row have a proven history of sexual abuse/childhood rape. I can't help feeling society doesn't give troubled kids the help they need and that's when things begin to spiral out of control...

I said nothing of the sort.

I did not say you did ;-)

I am certainly sorry that you were abused, however, that has absolutely nothing to do with this discussion and certainly this guy. Lets just say he did get raped, does that make it okay for him to live off of other peoples hospitality and then steal from them? I should say not.

And as far as your prison makes people better criminals argument, thats just bleeding heart propoganda. People either want to be or don't want to adhere to social norms. Those that can't adhere are shown the consequences, if the consequences aren't sufficient to induce adherence then more consequences are applied. Jail isn't meant to be nice, its a deterrent.

Jail doesn't appear to be a deterrent at all, in reality. If it were people wouldn't go in and out of jail: they'd be so afraid of jail that they'd pack in their criminal careers and get jobs in McDonalds, etc

Do you pay taxes? If so is it becasue you want to or feel obligated, or do you do it to avoid jail?? I do it to avoid jail. Jail deters me. Is it perfect? No, some don't care and will reoffend as soon as they get out. But it certainly keeps the masses in line.

I pay taxes but then I'm not a criminal. Jail is only a real deterrent to people who are unlikely to become criminals in the first place... The ones to worry about are the loose cannons who probably wouldn't dream of paying tax and aren't particularly fazed by the idea of doing jail time- like whoever shot poor Rhys Jones - are the ones who simply don't give a shit anymore about their futures, about the lives of others. The ones who'd have quite a laugh in jail since half their friends are already in there...

Right, however we are talking about a thief. Not a murderer and not a kid. This is a grown man that steals other hospitality and then has look at the rest he might take. So in this case, he should go to jail for awhile and when he gets out hopefully the lesson will hav ebeen learned and he will get a normal job.

I see what gmooh means, and to me, this brief description of possible reasons behind so called deviant behaviour seems dead-on. Anyway, dolfan is right: We should keep things apart, and the motives behind the behaviour have nothing to do with the discussion here. In the present case, priority should be given to saving others from such unpleasant encounters with Boland (or whatever his name is) and helping the theft victims to get their instruments back.

Whether Boland himself needs therapy or whatever only becomes a question once authorities (or whoever else competent enough) get hold of him. As long as he continues touring the Irish pubs and exploiting other people's hospitality, all that is beyond any discussion.

I bet he doesn't end up in jail! He's way more likely to get off with a fine, or probation. Actually he's pretty likely to totally get away with and not be prosecuted at all.

Personally I don't even think he deserves jail. I think jail should be preserved for individuals who commit serious crimes and IMO this individual's crimes are annoying and dishonest but in the grand scheme of things, not all that serious...

He deserves a fine and some kind of enforced counseling or probation.

I never said send him up the river to prison. But he needs to be arrested and sit in jail until his case is settled or he is bailed. Given his apparently large group of generous friends (sarcasm) it appears to me he would sit in jail until his case is resolved. The punishmentshould certainly be probation and a fine.

So, he stole one or two guitars? And he also ran up 100+ euros on phone calls. And a few hundred euros worth of beer and free lodging, right? He could argue that the beer, lodging and so on were given to him as gifts. Also, he likely got rid of the guitar, so it may be hard to prove that he stole it. I'm not even sure this case is going to make it to court...

gmooh- are you this guys comrade or something?

LOL, no. I just don't find his crimes all that serious.

Would your tone be the same if they were your guitars, your euros, your beers?? What if they were your brothers or sisters? Would you still want him out running around free or arrested and made to answer for being a piece of shit.

In your world the pub owners should pool their money together, get a shrink to sit down and talk to this guy about why his mommy didn't love him, or some other such BS??

I would feel gullible for having been 'taken in' by a petty crook, and I would work towards being less gullible in future.


Nope, they should cut their losses, warn their friends and colleagues about him, and move on.

You must be quite saintly. This guy is no diffrent than the punk kids that broke into my car earlier this year. I for one want the little feckers caught and prosecuted (Not a chance of this of course, but a nice thought anyhow), or better yet I'd like to catch them and dole out a little street justice. Maybe Im just an overly vindictive ass, but I think people should have to answer for their actions. Escpecially when those actions are intentionally detrimental to innocent people.

I think these two cases are different. In the case of the car break-in it sounds as though you are completely blameless. However, with the people who got ripped off by this individual, they must also take some personal responsibility. If you are going to give/lend money to a perfect stranger, there is some risk involved. You have no real idea who they really are or what they're really about. It's a very naive move to entrust them with your money or valuables. You are actively putting yourself at risk. Ditto inviting a total stranger to stay on your premises with access to your valuables. It doesn't make what the conman did any better, but these people could have been quite a bit more self-protective.

Last year a man my sister was going out with and living with told her he had a fabulous business venture that was ready to roll and he just needed 5000 pounds more in capital and then she was guaranteed to get a 25% revenue on that 5000 if she invested. She gave him the money and he disappeared two nights later. There never was any business venture. She later found he'd done the same thing to another woman. The police didn't really want to know and scolded her for being so stupid with her money... The boyfriend was a crook, obviously, but my sister was also very stupid and way too trusting.

This is exactly what is going to happen. And the next honest musician who asks for a few beers and a bed in exchange for a few songs will be told to fuck off. Congratulations! This is exactly how a few irresponsible wankers ruin a good system of give and take that worked for years.

And if anyone only even tries to steal one of my instruments, he will get a good bashing right away.

I quit. Anyone want to put me up for a couple days. I have had a run of bad luck, but Ill pay you back next week.

sure dolfan. come on over. if you'd like i'll even make sure you get breakfast in bed and a full fridge of beer and fine morsels.

Sadly, yeah. That's the world we live in!

Stay at my gaff for as long as you like mate. While you're at it, got a pen? If so, jot down my PIN number for my debit card. Oh, and here's my credit card number and expiry date in case you want to charge some long distance calls or booze or take-aways to my account. You'll pay it all back, right?

Your not calling the fuzz, so sure, i'll take all of the above. Thanks.

You're welcome. But if you rob me, I'm tellin' Toytown!!!

As I stated before: This endless "blame the victim instead of the offender" blather sucks. Eventually, this way of thinking only makes for a world full of ignorant hedonists -- a world that will have to offer seriously less of that peculiar kind of understanding for the victim you advocate.

this is quite an interesting post... my only comment would be that if more people were willing to pay musicians or to hear decent music ,he would not have to resort to this...

You are Robbie and I claim my 10€!!!

Ohmsy, you can definitely earn a bit of a living from playing in pubs without having to steal guitars and completely live on others expenses.

Ok,
This whole discussion makes me a loittle pissed of.
To set things straight:

1. My Dog died last week
2. My Mother has to get a new hip joint soon.
3. We are in a very bad financial situation.

Those are the things he knew of, and after the phonebill thing he looked me square in the eye and said:" I'm really sorry man, I wouldn't rip somebody off ever. People who do that deserve to DIE"

And the police was talking to him doing NOTHING.
People that do not get it by now obviously don't know what empathy is.

Ha! Decent Music. He sucked big time.

I was being sarcastic. I know no more about this guy than what is posted.
Why would you wonder if it was me?
Here is a recent photo of me (Orange).
Take care,
space

True, just the level of a mediocre hobby musician.

So who tipped off the Sunday Tribune re: Robbie? He is page three news in today's paper!

I'm a new visitor having just seen the Irish Sunday Tribune today and I'm just going to write this one post.

I'm the person whose surname he is now using and he did live in Limerick for about two years before he had to leave after burning all his bridges. He is actually Dutch as you may know if you have read the paper today. His real name is Rob van Spaendonck and he is originally from near Eindhoven. He is not just a harmless bum, he causes genuine trauma for those whose lives he touches for any length of time. He has been pulling this same crap for at least 10 years now and at 35 he really ought to know better. But his problems seem to lie in the fact that he genuinely believes that the whole world owes him something.

Even if he only imposes on you for a couple of days, it is a couple of days too long, let him in for any longer and you may just find yourself kicked out of the roof you put over his head, with an 8 week old baby.

Every word he speaks is pretty much a lie, every apology is insincere, and there is no one left in his family who will bail him out or give him money anymore. Alcohol and drugs are the only things that matter and he would steal your last penny and leave you to starve (literally) to buy them.

I hope this forum stops more people being burned, Irish pubs all over the world are supposed to be a place to enjoy GOOD music and make genuine new friends.

Slan.

Hi all,

I have just joined this forum for one reason to blow the lid on Robbie "Boland". Firstly his second name is not Boland. I lived in Limerick about 8 years ago and I worked in a bar where he was working. He is definatly not Irish and he is Dutch from Hertogenbosch ( or so he told me at the time. I had lived in Holland for a few years and knew that City). He is a total conman. He worked in a number of pubs in Limerick at the time and was fired from everyone for stealing.

Even back then he was telling stupid stories like that he was related to Dutch royalty!! Hilarious. He has stole the surname from an ex-girlfriend called Boland he was living with while in Limerick. He ripped her off BIG TIME too. It has just hit the press over here about him. In the Sunday Tribune ( a national Irish paper) there was a big article on him with his picture. He is in his late 30's, tall, very bad teeth and DUTCH NOT IRISH.

His real name is Robbie Van Spaendonk. He cant come back to Limerick as there are dozens of people after him. He stole €400 from my boyfriend who worked in a bar with him shotly before he disappeared for good and that was a hell of a lot of money for us at the time as we had just had our first baby and were pretty cash strapped. I cant believe he is still up to his old tricks. So he knows about Limerick becasue he lived there for about 2 years I think.

Hope ye catch the bastard and extradite him back to Limerick. There are quite a few people who would LOVE to have a chat with him. My boyfriend Declan included. I am now living in Dublin but will let my mates know that he is back on the scene.

Good luck. And watch out. He is not violent that I have ever seen but devious as hell.

Catherine ( Kitty)

I don't suppose either of you two girls has a photo or knows anybody with a photo of this guy?

There is a pic of him in the newspaper article- i will try and scan the article in after work today!

I dont have a photo of him. The picture of him in the Irish newspaper was pretty good. I remember him with long hair but he has cut it shorter now. Maybe if someone wanted to contact the Sunday Tribune in Ireland they would e-mail over the picture they used to someone and ye could post it on your blog?

Kitty Kat

Looks like this guys "career" is coming to an end. And about time.

Pisses me off when you get con artists like this.
Cos the next time you meet someone in the pub who genuinely needs a bit of friendly help you are wary of helping.
Or you are new somewhere yourself and people at the bar are worried that you are a conman.

Thanks mate. For some reason I can't access The Sunday Tribune's website.

Neither can I Sin; since yesterday when I read about it here. Obviously the website has been overwhelmed by Toytown readers, wanting to know what Robbie looks like.

Haha yeah, I wanted to read the article but the Tribune's site is down. Would be awesome if someone can scan in this article for us!

Couldn't get the fecker to upload having scanned it in, but luckily enough it's all here in the Trib's article!

That's the thing, the tribune's site doesn't load for me.
Can you possibly copy and paste the article (in a PM if it isn't possible to post the entire thing due to copyright infringement) and maybe post the photo as well? Seems like a few others are having the same problem I am having.