Principal avoids jail for stealing €44k from school for 'day-to-day expenses' of hotels and holidays

The judge said while the amount of money stolen was “serious”, it was “not at the extreme end”.

Marcus Wynne has “sincere remorse and regret” for his actions. He is currently working five nights a week in a factory and has saved up €30,000 to repay to the school. Picture: Collins Courts

A national school principal who stole more than €44,000 from his school over a three-year period in an “appalling breach of trust” has been given a suspended three-year sentence.

Marcus Wynne (41) broke down in tears in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday when Judge Martin Nolan ruled that although he had let his former school community down, he did not deserve a custodial sentence.