Courts / Wicklow / Report
Suspended sentence given to woman who defrauded employer of €220k is found "too lenient"
Summary
Naila Zaffer, 38, a former senior insurance claims official, was found guilty of defrauding her employer, IPB Insurance, of €220,000 over six years. She pleaded guilty to ten counts of using a false instrument, theft and attempted theft between April 2007 and August 2012. In May 2015, Judge Terence O'Sullivan imposed a wholly suspended two‑and‑a‑half‑year sentence. The Court of Appeal, hearing an application from the Director of Public Prosecutions, ruled that the sentence was "unduly lenient" and ordered a fresh hearing in December. The appeal judge noted that Zaffer had no prior convictions, had lost her job, and that the fraud was pre‑meditated and prolonged. The case was remitted for the probation service to prepare reports before the new sentencing hearing.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Suspended sentence given to woman who defrauded employer of €220k is found "too lenient". Charges or matters: ten sample counts of using a false instrument, theft and attempted theft from IPB Insurance on dates between April 2007 and August 2012. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- April 2007 Hearing Or Sentence
- August 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- May 11, 2015 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2016-10-28 Publication
Case subjects
Applicant
Outcome: She was give a wholly suspended two-and-a-half year sentence by Judge Terence O'Sullivan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on May 11, 2015.; The case was put back to early December for the preparation of reports by the probation service.
Appellant
Charges: ten sample counts of using a false instrument, theft and attempted theft from IPB Insurance on dates between April 2007 and August 2012 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: She was give a wholly suspended two-and-a-half year sentence by Judge Terence O'Sullivan at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on May 11, 2015. The DPP sought a review of Zaffer's sentence on grounds that the sentencing judge erred in imposing a wholly suspended sentence.; The case was put back to early December for the preparation of reports by the probation service.
Places mentioned
- Court of Appeal
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- The Circuit Court
Topics
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