A court heard yesterday that a serial conman from Co Roscommon had a psychological need for “social status and respect” which caused him to carry out his thefts and deceptions.

36-year old Francis Shanley of Church View, Boyle gained nationwide notoriety by calling up RTE’s Liveline show to talk about his crimes.

Yesterday he pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen BMW car at Drury Street car park, Dublin city centre between October 23 and December 17, 2007 – after pretending to be a BMW technician investigating a mechanical fault.

The court heard that Shanley has 77 previous convictions, including 13 for theft, six for making gains by deception, eight for stealing cars and three for dangerous driving.

Last October he was sentenced to four years imprisonment for theft of €43,000 worth of camera equipment and for trying to induce a woman to give her car to him.

The Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that a psychological report claimed Mr Shanley’s behaviour came out of a “need for social status and respect” and was usually followed by a “sense of remorse”.

The report said that Shanley suffers from bi-polar disorder and has issues relating to his childhood.

Judge Martin Nolan sentenced him to another 16 months in prison to be served consecutively to his current sentence.