Courts / Cork / Report

Serial fraudster jailed after more fake documents are discovered

Date
2021-07-26
Stage
Appeal
Primary locality
Carrigaline
County
Cork

Summary

Emma Fehily, 37, was sentenced by the Court of Appeal to three‑and‑a‑half years' imprisonment, with 18 months suspended for two years, on two counts of forgery and two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice. The sentence follows the discovery of two further forged documents, one purporting to be from a doctor and another from a counselling service, which were found by Fehily's own defence team. The documents were dated 2018 and were not new materials prepared for the appeal hearing. Fehily had previously pleaded guilty to multiple theft offences and had been given a fully‑suspended one‑year sentence in 2020, which the Director of Public Prosecutions appealed as unduly lenient. The judge noted that Fehily had shown little or no remorse and that her legal team had acted diligently in uncovering the forged documents.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Serial fraudster jailed after more fake documents are discovered. Charges or matters: 13 counts of theft totalling more than €25,000 from her employer, Johnson and Perrot Garage in 2014 and 2015; 28 theft charges involving more than €34,000 when working at Westbourne IT Solutions in 2015 and 2016. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

Why: Emma Fehily (37) was initially given a fully-suspended sentence because the sentencing judge was unhappy with the "complete and utter joke" of her early release on previous theft charges. CNI source report

Case subjects

Emma Fehily

Appellant

Charges: 13 counts of theft totalling more than €25,000 from her employer, Johnson and Perrot Garage in 2014 and 2015; 28 theft charges involving more than €34,000 when working at Westbourne IT Solutions in 2015 and 2016 (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: The DPP had appealed the one-year fully suspended sentence imposed on Fehily on grounds of undue leniency. Fehily was today sentenced to three-and-half-years' imprisonment with 18 months suspended for two years on two counts of forgery and two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Court of Appeal
Residence
Facility

Topics

Stage Appeal Theft

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

Correction or retraction request

If a fact, identity, locality or legal outcome needs review, email the newsroom with this report's details prefilled.

Email a correction request