Seven years for Cork woman after £250,000 theft

A 49-year-old Cork woman has been jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to stealing a quarter of a million pounds from the credit union where she worked.

The funds were taken in a series of installments spanning five years from Blackpool Credit Union.

Mother of two, Helen Harrison from Oldcourt, Ballincarrig in Liamlara pleaded guilty to stealing the money over a period between 1993 and 1998. Money was stolen in sums ranging from £2,000 up to £10,000.

Cork circuit criminal court was told how the woman had already paid back £3,000 and made provisions to remortgage her house and pay back a further £40,000.

Sentencing her to seven years, Judge Aiden Murphy said it was a very serious crime. He recommended the sentence be reviewed by a parole board in three years time.