A FORMER employee of a Erris-based meals-on-wheels service who stole close to €9,000 from them received an 18 months suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay back the money.
Kim Bradley who currently lives in Dundalk but formerly lived at 6 Tonn na Mara, Doohoma, Ballina agreed to open a direct debit for €50 per month to pay back her former employer the €8,929.46 that she stole.
The mother of two pleaded guilty to six counts of theft from the offices of Comharchumann Forbartha Cill tSeadhna Teo. The company provides meal-on-wheels and other services to elderly people in the Geesala area. Between September 2011 and June 2012, Ms Bradley was filling in as manager. When the full-time manager returned from maternity leave she noticed a number of financial discrepancies.
The facts of the case were heard in Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court in February 2016, where Judge Rory McCabe adjourned sentencing to allow Ms Bradley to pay compensation.
Her counsel, Mr Michael O’Connor explained her client has since moved to Dundalk and while she has work with a utility company, she was finding it difficult to save money to compensate the company. He said she was willing to set up a direct debit with her bank to pay back €50 per month, but it would be tight.
Mr Patrick Reynolds, counsel for the prosecution explained that the company it did not want to see Ms Bradley go to prison but would like to be compensated.
Judge McCabe accepted that given the circumstances Ms Bradley finds herself in, her ability to compensate was limited, but added that it was largely her own fault. He said that because Ms Bradley was considered to be a low risk of reoffending, he did not think it would be in the interest of justice to send her to prison.
He sentenced Ms Bradley to 18 months’ imprisonment but suspended the entirety of the sentence for five years on condition she pays back €50 per month until the entire debt is discharged. Mr O’Connor said she would, and later told Judge McCabe that the direct debit account had been set up.
