Courts / Tyrone / Report
Jail for financial controller who stole €270k from solicitor's firm to pay off ex-husband's gambling debts
Summary
A 47‑year‑old financial controller, Donna Magee, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing more than €270,000 from her former employer, O'Mara Geraghty McCourt Solicitors, between late 2007 and June 2009. She transferred the money into her own account over several months, including a €101,000 payment that was meant for a UK client and a €55,000 transfer that was supposed to be a VAT payment to Revenue. The court found she abused her position of trust and, after a guilty plea, imposed a three‑year sentence with the final 18 months suspended. The judge refused her request for a week's leave before incarceration, citing the seriousness of the offence. Magee has prior convictions, including forgery, and has been described by her defence as a vulnerable woman who was pressured by her ex‑husband's gambling debts. The case was brought to court nine years after her employment at the Dublin firm.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Jail for financial controller who stole €270k from solicitor's firm to pay off ex-husband's gambling debts. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 2009 Hearing Or Sentence
- June 24 2009 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2017-03-31 Publication
Why: Counsel for Donna Magee asked that she be given a week before starting her sentence in order to make arrangements for her 14-year-old child. CNI source report
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