No jail for young gambling addict who stole €42k meant for homeless in Cork

Nora Cremin claimed she was staying at the Metropole Hotel in Cork, when in fact she was not. She had handed in invoices totalling €31,000 for the Metropole.

A young woman with a gambling addiction made false claims for €42,500 in payments to relieve homelessness and now she has been given a two–year suspended sentence.

Judge Helen Boyle said: “This was a deliberate theft which took money from the coffers of the State which should have provided accommodation for people who are homeless. You have not paid anything back so the State is still at a loss.” 

Nora Cremin, of The Funchion, River Valley, Mallow, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to 43 counts of theft which were in effect fraud at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. The judge took into consideration mitigating factors including actual homelessness before these offences were committed and steps taken to address her gambling addiction since.

The thefts

Garda John Dineen said the background to the case was that in November 2018 the defendant was dealing with a social worker in North Cork and presented as homeless.

She was deemed to be a person of exceptional needs and suitable for exceptional needs payments. The scheme operated on the basis of the claimant being paid in respect of invoices from hotels for emergency accommodation.

Over a period of 10 months she furnished fraudulent invoices appearing to show that she had been accommodated at the Ashley Hotel and Metropole Hotel in Cork while in fact she had not.

The invoices she furnished were for sums from €150 to €1,490. She handed in invoices totalling over €11,000 in respect of the Ashley and €31,000 for the Metropole. The fraud was discovered in an audit, Det. Garda Dineen said.

Unable to return money

The detective believed there was no prospect of the defendant being able to repay what she had taken. Donal O’Sullivan, defending, said she has completed a lengthy period of treatment.

He said she had not come to any attention since these crimes were detected. However, she had previous convictions including four for theft and a number of public order offences and two for assault.

Mr O’Sullivan said the thefts were detected during an office audit and that these transactions stood out to the auditor. He said the elephant in the room was that the defendant would simply not be able to pay for what she took.

Judge Boyle said the escapade of fraud carried out by the accused had resulted in the system of payment of this emergency support now being tightened up considerably.

“You were in fact homeless but you were staying on sofas in friends’ houses and putting in claims for staying in hotels.

“You cooperated in every way. It is a particularly pernicious addiction. You have nothing to show for your thefts. You did attend residential treatment for addiction and you are in aftercare. You have never served a jail sentence,” the judge said as she imposed a fully suspended jail term.