Wicklow woman escapes jail term for €34k theft

A Wicklow woman who embezzled over €34,000 from her employer to sustain an alcohol addiction she developed following a period of post natal depression has escaped a jail term.

Pauline Kiernan (aged 34) of Meath Road, Bray pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four charges of stealing from Environmental Resource Management (ERM), The Capel Building, Marys Abbey in Dublin, on dates between April 16, 2009 and January 12, 2010.

She has two previous convictions for public order and a minor road traffic conviction.

The charges were representative of 28 online banking transactions in which Kiernan transferred a total of €34,415 to her own Bank of Ireland account. She was working as an office manager with the company at the time and was the only staff member who had access to the password for ERM’s accounts.

The court heard that Kiernan duplicated and altered the accounts and forged invoices to mask the theft.

Judge Martin Nolan sentenced Kiernan to three years in prison which he suspended in full on condition that she hand over €4,000 she had in court to her former employer.

He said she had used “creative paperwork to lead her employer astray” and that her offence had represented a “breach of trust.”

Judge Nolan accepted that Kiernan has since started to deal with her alcohol addiction and has got a new job.

Garda Stephen Mullen told Ms Gerardine Small BL, prosecuting, that Kiernan had been fired from her position in ERM due to “a drink related issue”.

A financial audit later revealed the transfers from the company’s online banking system to another Bank of Ireland account. A further examination showed that it was the same bank account that Kiernan’s wages had been paid into and she was arrested.

Gda Mullen said that Kiernan told gardaí en route to the station that she had an alcohol problem. She later made immediate and full admissions to the theft.

He said it was obvious on Kiernan’s arrest that she was an alcoholic and she had told gardaí it had stemmed from a period of post-natal depression, following the birth of her son.

Gda Mullen told Ms Small that Kiernan was “a different person” to the woman she was at the time of her arrest.

He agreed with Mr Luigi Rea BL, defending, that Kiernan had been drinking heavily while working with ERM.

He accepted that she was “genuinely remorseful” for her behaviour because she had enjoyed her work and her employers had been good to her.

Mr Rea said his client had taken steps to deal with her rehabilitation and has since secured new employment.

He said Kiernan had €4,000 in court and said that possibly “over a large number of years” she may be able to clear the balance of €30,000.