Alison Wilkins gets suspended sentence for theft

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Alison Wilkins received a three-year suspended sentence for stealing over €30,000 from retired schoolteacher Rita Keogh, who has dementia. The proceedings were reported on 9 October 2015.

Wilkins pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to nine sample charges of theft on dates between July 2013 and March 2014. She had no previous convictions. Judge Desmond Hogan described the offending as "a mean crime" involving a huge breach of trust and said he would not impose a custodial sentence "for reasons of restitution".

The judge ordered Wilkins to hand over the €1,500 she had already raised and gave her four years to raise a further €28,500 to be paid back to the victim's family. He also ordered her to complete 240 hours of voluntary work in the community, undergo 12 months of probation service supervision and complete any recommended drug treatment programme.