Office manager stole from school to pay bills

A former office manager from Carrigallen, County Leitrim, has received a suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stealing €10,350 from her employer over five years. Antoinette Connolly, aged 53, pleaded guilty to four sample counts of theft from Killester College on Collins Avenue East, Dublin, between October 2006 and October 2011. The thefts included €4,250 in cheques and postal orders. Connolly withdrew approximately €100 monthly, which she used to pay household bills and mortgage arrears. The offences came to light in 2011 after she took sick leave. The court heard she faced significant financial hardship while supporting her family, as her husband had been unable to work since 2007. Judge James O'Donoghue suspended a two-year prison sentence on condition she keep the peace for that period, noting she had already lost her employment and repaid the full amount stolen. A Probation Service report indicated no risk of reoffending.