Courts / Tyrone / Report
18-month jail term for woman who stole €270k from solicitors "lenient", appeal judge remarks
Summary
Donna Magee, 47, of Holyfields, Dungannon, was convicted of stealing €270,597 from O'Mara Geraghty McCourt Solicitors while she worked as a financial controller in 2008‑2009. She pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, with the final 18 months suspended. The Court of Appeal dismissed her appeal, finding the 18‑month net custodial term "lenient" for a fraud of a quarter‑million euros. The judge noted Magee's prior convictions, including a nine‑month sentence for VAT fraud in 2014 and an earlier fraud conviction in 2002, and the partial recovery of €173,000 through civil proceedings. The appeal was heard six weeks after the sentence was imposed, and the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Alan Mahon, upheld the original sentence. The decision was made in the context of Magee's status as a mother of one and the impact on her 14‑year‑old daughter.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: 18-month jail term for woman who stole €270k from solicitors "lenient", appeal judge remarks. Charges or matters: stealing in excess of €270,000 from her then employers, O'Mara Geraghty McCourt Solicitors. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- March 31, 2017 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2008 to 2009 Other
- 2017-05-09 Publication
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: stealing in excess of €270,000 from her then employers, O'Mara Geraghty McCourt Solicitors (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: She was sentenced to three years imprisonment with the final 18 months suspended by Judge Martin Nolan on March 31, 2017. Magee lost an appeal against the severity of her sentence today, which came on for hearing six weeks after it was imposed.
Places mentioned
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