Bookkeeper who stole €14k from creche avoids jail

A bookkeeper from Virginia, County Cavan, has avoided imprisonment after admitting theft from a Dublin creche. Elizabeth Ingram (61) pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing €14,000 from Ballyfermot Resource Centre during 2011 and 2012. Judge Melanie Greally imposed 240 hours of community service in lieu of a one-year prison sentence. The court heard Ingram had worked in bookkeeping at the resource centre for eight years before the thefts were uncovered during a mandatory Government funding audit. She admitted taking approximately €100 from every €1,000 in creche payments over several weeks, plus €800 from the centre's restaurant. Ingram repaid the full amount by bank draft following her admission. Judge Greally acknowledged the serious breach of trust but noted Ingram was under financial pressure at the time and described the offence as uncharacteristic of an otherwise law-abiding woman who raised four children as a single parent.