A Westmeath county camogie player has been given a two year suspended prison sentence for stealing over âŹÂ28,000 from a barrister to use for online shopping.
30 year-old Dinah Loughlin with an address in Kilbeggan, had pleaded guilty to twenty sample counts of theft at The Law Library, Dublin between 2009 and 2014 while she was working as a legal secretary for Marguerite Bolger.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that during the period Loughlin undertook transcription work for other barristers. However she then used Ms Bolgerâs account to pay a stenography service to complete the work.
Other purchases included online shopping at Asos, River Island and Amazon. She also spent hundreds of euros on âOne for Allâ gift-cards from an office supply website.
Loughlin, who plays inter-county camogie for Westmeath, has since repaid her former employer with money she and her partner were saving for a wedding. She also sold her car.
The court heard Ms Bolger has taken a âvery benevolent viewâ of the offending. The barrister only reported the matter to gardaĂ for professional reasons and to ensure it never happened again, prosecuting counsel Anne Rowland SC said.
Judge Melanie Greally said Loughlin had breached the âabsolute and implicitâ trust of her employer even though she didnât seem to be under any financial pressures at the time. In mitigation the judge noted Loughlinâs previous good character and her repayment of the money.
Judge Greally said Loughlin was âperilously closeâ to going to jail. She imposed a two year sentence, suspended for two years.
Garda Stephen Faulkner said that Ms Bolger trusted Loughlin with her credit cards and account details. The barrister would ask Loughlin to make personal purchases online on her behalf.
Sometimes Loughlin would be allowed use the accounts to make purchases for herself on the understanding she would repay Ms Bolger.
Ms Bolger had a good relationship with Loughlin and never checked these accounts. However in 2014 she was alerted to a strange transaction. When she asked her assistant about it, Loughlin assured her it was a mistake.
In August 2014 the barrister noticed another unauthorised payment to Claraâs Closet, a clothes website. Loughlin again said it was a mistake but Ms Bolger decided to spend the weekend going through her various card and online accounts.
When the thefts were uncovered Loughlin was suspended. She claimed she had bought the items unintentionally because she was so used to using Ms Bolgerâs cards. She resigned a short time later via text message.
Most of the money went on online shopping but some of it was taken directly from the ATM. On one occasion Ms Bolger gave a âŹ100 cheque to Loughlinâs GAA club as a donation. Loughlin later rewrote the cheque figure to âŹ500.
Loughlin also bought CDs, DVDs and an Ipod, as well as using Ms Bolgerâs account to pay for her motor tax. Gda Faulkner said she was very co-operative when arrested. He said he didnât think she would re-offend.
Defence counsel Oisin Clarke BL said Loughlin, who was named on the Camogie Associationâs 2014 âSoaring Starsâ team, suffered great stress when the theft was uncovered. He said she always knew she was going to get caught.
Counsel said she and her partner were not wealthy and had now âput their lives on holdâ to repay Ms Bolger.
