Dog walker abused trust by stealing from woman

A dog walker was allowed access to a woman’s house to collect her dog but he made his way upstairs and stole €80 and $600 from a bedroom drawer.

Denis Gough, aged 43, of 2 Church Rd, Ballinacurra, Midleton, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to the theft arising out of the incident.

Daithí Ó Donnabháin, defending, said Gough had paid the full amount of compensation to the injured party.

“Dog walking does not involve theft,” Judge Leo Malone said at Cork District Court.

Mr Ó Donnabháin said Gough’s business was in extremely straitened circumstances and was no longer in that line of work.

“It was desperation as a result of the financial circumstances he was in,” the solicitor told the court.

“He did write a letter of apology. The money has been paid to her also,” Mr Ó Donnabháin added.

Inspector John Deasy said the owner of the house, located at Thornbury Heights in Cork, returned to her home on June 29 where she found Gough walking down the stairs.

She later discovered that cash was missing from a bedroom drawer.

Judge Leo Malone said: “I take it he had access to the injured party’s home to collect her dog. So he was in a position of trust.

“If you trust someone to do something for you and if they steal your property when you are not there it is a serious matter.”

Noting that the stolen money had been repaid in full, the judge said that he would impose a four-month jail sentence, to be suspended on condition that the defendant would commit no offences for the next two years.