Cork supermarket manager 'put his hand in the till' and stole €81,000 to feed his gambling addiction

Court heard accused had repaid the amount in full to his employer

Court heard that as well as dealing with his own gambling addiction, accused is actively helping other people to overcome similar difficulties. File picture: iStock

A gambling addiction caused a supermarket store manager to “put his hand in the till” and take cash totalling €81,750 — but through hard work and determination he has repaid the money in full.

Prosecution barrister Donal McCarthy acknowledged that in his experience as a prosecutor for many years, it was exceptional to see such a large sum of money repaid in full by an accused person.

Judge Helen Boyle imposed a sentence of three years, which was fully suspended, at Cork Circuit Criminal Court on 34-year-old Graham McCarthy, of 16 Elsinore Heights, Midleton, Co Cork, who was at the time of the offences the store manager at Mace in Carrigtohill, Co Cork.

The money was stolen between January 2020 and June 2021 — a crime which his employer found devastating from the point of view of the financial loss and the breach of trust.

Defence barrister Alan O’Dwyer said the accused had not come to the attention of gardaí before or since this occurred. As well as dealing with his own gambling addiction, he is actively helping other people to overcome similar difficulties.

Judge Boyle said there was no doubting the gravity of the offences given the amount of money involved, where she said the manager was literally “putting his hand in the till”.

“Aggravating factors include that this was a severe breach of trust. You were a store manager. You were treated well and empowered to do your job. It was a significant sum of money. You were trained. You were coached. It was devastating for your employer to see you were systematically stealing from them.

“In mitigation, you have no previous convictions, you pleaded guilty, you fully repaid the money. You moved back home. You limited yourself to a very small amount of spending money so that you could make restitution in full to your employer. Although not an excuse, you were suffering from a gambling addiction at the time.

“You are someone who assists other people talking about your addiction and ongoing recovery. I take into consideration your behaviour in working consistently hard to repay your employers,” Judge Boyle said.