Former Advance Pitstop manager stole from employer after developing €800-a-day cocaine habit

A former manager at Advance Pitstop stole cash and cheques from his employer to pay off a criminal gang after he developed a €800-a-day cocaine habit, Limerick Circuit Court has heard.

Pat O'Shaughnessy (aged 36), formerly an employee with Advance Pitstop for 12 years, had worked his way up from the shop floor to a manager's position before the thefts came to light.

The court heard O'Shaughnessy had a recreational drug habit which was costing him €50 per week.

However, the court was told this "escalated to between €700 and €800 a day".

Gardaí agreed with O'Shaughnessy's barrister that he was a "hard worker" who would not have been before the court had he not been addicted to drugs and "under pressure" to repay his drug debt.

The father-of-five, with an address at Derrynane, Old Cork Road, Limerick, was initially charged with 95 counts of theft of €37,732 in cash and cheques worth €18,810.

He pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to 20 sample charges of theft.

The court heard Advance was not at a loss for the stolen cheques as O'Shaughnessy, who kept the cheques at his home, never cashed them in.

The cash, however, was never recovered, the court was told.

O'Shaughnessy was responsible for making cash and cheque lodgements on behalf of his employer.

The thefts came to light when the firm's head office noticed "no lodgements" were made in June 2014.

A subsequent internal investigation by the company found "very little monies" had been lodged between January and March 2014.

The accused lost his job and has since found employment with a car valet firm, earning €300 per week from which he pays €100 per week in child maintenance to his ex-partner.

After admitting the thefts, O'Shaughnessy and a company supervisor went to the accused's home where they recovered a total of 29 customer cheques.

Initially, Advance agreed to accept a €40,000 repayment in instalments from O'Shuaghnessy, however when he failed to make repayments, the company alerted gardaí.

O'Shaughnessy told gardaí he had been under "stress" and had to pay a drug gang a €15,000 debt.

When he was arrested he was "at the height of a cocaine addiction" the court heard.

Gardaí agreed with O'Shaugnessy's barrister that he was "a hardworking, decent person" who had come from a "good family background".

"He is ashamed," the court was told.

Several letters of testimony detailing O'Shaughnessy's "good character" were presented to the court.

Judge Tom O'Donnell, presiding, said he needed to "reflect" on all of the evidence.

He remanded Mr O'Shaughnessy on continuing bail, and adjourned sentencing to October 3.