Autistic man 'bullied' into stealing €17,000, court told

An autistic Galway man who said he was bullied by his "serious criminal uncle" into stealing €17,000 cash from employers has been given a suspended sentence by Judge Martin Nolan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Thomas McLoughlin (31) with addresses at St Grellan’s Terrace and Curragh Park, Ballinasloe said his uncle had stabbed him twice in the past and intimidated him into cashing a forged cheque and stealing money from two shops where he was employed as an assistant manager.