Man who stole from company he worked for remanded on bail

A Kildare man who, in "a moment of weakness", stole €9,500 from the company he worked for in order to pay off a gambling debt has been remanded on bail pending sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Will Pidgeon (aged 40) of The Crescent, College Farm, Newbridge, a former member of the Irish Air Force, pleaded guilty to stealing the cash at GSLS, a logistics company, based at Muirfield Drive, Naas Road on February 28, 2008. He had no previous convictions.

Garda Ciaran Nunan told Mr John Quirke BL, prosecuting, that an internal enquiry was launched at GSLS after staff there noticed that a bag of cash had gone missing from a consignment that had come in from Limerick.

Pidgeon was clearly seen on CCTV footage hiding the money bag under his jacket before leaving the premises. He immediately made admissions to gardai when he was confronted the following day.

Gda Nunan said that Pidgeon told gardaí that he owed €25,000 in gambling debts to banks and various people.

A "person" had recently called on his ex-wife "on behalf of someone else" in an effort to get some of the debt repaid and Pidgeon was in fear for her life and that of their two children.

He had used €6,100 of the money he had stolen to pay off debts to various people but when gardaí searched his house the following day he immediately handed over the remaining €3,800 to them.

Pidgeon told gardaí that he was scanning in the bags from the consignment that day when there was some confusion over a missing bag. He scanned in 26 bags and the people who delivered them went away to confirm that 27 bags had actually arrived at GSLS.

He then found the missing bag on a desk, hid it under his jacket and went home.

He told gardai that it "was the biggest mistake of [his] life" and the minute he got home he regretted it and thought: "What have I done?"

"It was biggest low point in my life and it is because of gambling," Mr Pidgeon told gardaí.

Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned the case to next June to allow for the preparation of a probation report.

Gda Nunan agreed with Mr Sean Guerin BL, defending, that Pidgeon had an exemplery record from the Irish Air Force where he had served for 17 years and accepted that this was "a moment of madness in an otherwise unblemished life".

Mr Guerin told Judge Ryan that his client had a gambling addiction since he was 18 years old but he has since attended Gamblers Anonymous and a letter from the organisation said he actively helped other people in the programme.

He said his client wanted to repeat his expression of remorse and apology to his former employers and he had €5,730 in court as reimbursement for the cash he stole.