Defendant “telling fairy stories”

A Whitestown woman who stole €9,000 from her local employer subsequently squandered a €10,000 donation that had been given to her to pay back the stolen money.

Joan Sloan of Sheephill Avenue was accused by Judge Katherine Delahunt of “telling fairy stories to this court” when she pleaded guilty to the offence at Dublin Circuit Court.

Ms. Sloan, a separated mother of seven children, was employed by the Blanchardstown Offenders for New Direction (Bond) Project, in Coolmine Industrial Estate where she was responsible for looking after the project’s internet banking. During a three month period from November 2004 to February 2005, she stole a total of €9,000 in amounts ranging from €140 to €1,500 from her employer.

Ms Sloan, who has no previous convictions, said she was relying on fortnightly maintenance payments from her ex-husband at the time but had only received four payments that year. She had taken her two youngest children on their first holiday, which she paid for by credit card, and then got into severe debt.

At the time of the thefts she had been facing eviction from her home.

The manager of the BOND project at that time, Pat Doyle, reported to gardaí there had been several unauthorised internet banking transactions from the fund. When she was interviewed about the theft by gardaí Ms. Sloan acknowledged the matter and gave them a copy of her bank statements.

The case originally came before the court last October at which time an anonymous donor gave Ms. Sloan €10,000 to repay the money she had stolen from BOND. However instead of repaying the stolen monies she used €2,000 to help pay off a loan for her son, paid some household bills and used the rest for Christmas expenditure, leaving her with €1,000. By May of this year she had only repaid €1,450 to BOND.

The court heard that Ms. Sloan had instructed her legal team that one of her children was autistic and she was expecting €8,000 in the form of a Carer's Allowance. She had spent the €10,000 in anticipation of getting this money.

Accusing the defendant of “telling fairy stories”, Judge Delahunt said "this is a woman who got €10,000 to clear up this matter and she blew it". The judge said she had taken on board all of the circumstances "and clearly so had one very generous member of the public".

The judge said she would give Ms. Sloan one final chance to repay the money and she adjourned the case to 5th December.

 

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