Courts / Dublin / Report
Woman jailed for stealing over €670k from hospital
Summary
Mary Kennedy, a 46‑year‑old former accounts worker at St Columcille's Hospital, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for stealing more than €670,000 over a 16‑year period. Kennedy devised a fraudulent scheme that involved issuing cheques to doctors who were not actually employed by the hospital. After the hospital's computerisation in 2019, she arranged for the money to be paid into her brother‑in‑law Paul Leeson's account, who later returned the funds to her and made a €5,000 profit. Kennedy pleaded guilty to 16 counts of theft and two counts of fraud covering 2004‑2020, while Leeson pleaded guilty to one count of possessing the proceeds of crime between June 2019 and October 2020. Judge Martin Nolan, noting mitigating factors such as Kennedy's health problems, lack of prior convictions and role as a mother, imposed a two‑year sentence, which was fully suspended for Leeson.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Woman jailed for stealing over €670k from hospital. Charges or matters: 16 sample counts of theft and two counts of fraud in an unknown location in the State between 2004 and 2020; one count of possessing the proceeds of crime on dates between June 2019 and October 2020. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 2019 Incident
- October 2020 Incident
- November 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2004 and 2020 Other
- 2022-05-30 Publication
Case subjects
Defendant
Charges: 16 sample counts of theft and two counts of fraud in an unknown location in the State between 2004 and 2020; one count of possessing the proceeds of crime on dates between June 2019 and October 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: This defendant, over a prolonged period of time, stole an awful lot of money." The judge said Kennedy must be imprisoned but that he would hand down the most lenient sentence that he could, which he set at two years. Kennedy wept and hugged her husband after the sentence was handed down.
Defendant
Charges: 16 sample counts of theft and two counts of fraud in an unknown location in the State between 2004 and 2020; one count of possessing the proceeds of crime on dates between June 2019 and October 2020 (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Passing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan said that Leeson had "succumbed to a small amount of greed" but that his culpability in the crime was low.
Applicant
Charges: 16 sample counts of theft and two counts of fraud in an unknown location in the State between 2004 and 2020; one count of possessing the proceeds of crime on dates between June 2019 and October 2020 (Alleged Or Contested)
Places mentioned
- St Columcille's Hospital
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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