Courts / Louth / Report
Louth mother who stole nearly €5,000 from her former employers avoids jail
Summary
Paula Reid, a 51‑year‑old mother of two from Drogheda, pleaded guilty in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 12 counts of theft between June 2010 and September 2012, having taken €4,790.97 from her former employer, Hugh Burrows & Sons Ltd. She had worked for the company for 30 years and was recently in charge of accounts and payroll. Reid had paid herself a double weekly wage on 12 occasions, a practice described by the Garda as "double‑dip payments." She was suspended from her job in January 2013 and subsequently dismissed. The court, hearing that she had paid back the money by bank draft, sentenced her to 200 hours of community service for six counts and imposed a two‑year suspended sentence in full for the remaining six counts. The judge noted her distressing personal circumstances, including a divorce and her son's serious injury, as mitigating factors.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Louth mother who stole nearly €5,000 from her former employers avoids jail. Charges or matters: 12 counts of theft on dates between June 2010 and September 2012 totalling €4,790.97 from Hugh Burrows & Sons Ltd, based on Clonard Street in Balbriggan, Co Dublin; the 12 counts at the earliest opportunity. "It was a grievous breach of trust over a two and a half year period and she is deeply remorseful and wants to apologise publicly for the pain, distress and annoyance to her former employees," said Mr Kenneally. "It was completely out of character for her and she did not have a lavish lifestyle," he said, adding that the money she stole became part of her income for day to day expenses. "She cannot offer any substantive reason other than the stresses she was under," he said. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- June 2010 Hearing Or Sentence
- September 2012 Hearing Or Sentence
- January 2013 Incident
- 2015-05-18 Publication
Case subjects
Convicted Person
Charges: 12 counts of theft on dates between June 2010 and September 2012 totalling €4,790.97 from Hugh Burrows & Sons Ltd, based on Clonard Street in Balbriggan, Co Dublin; the 12 counts at the earliest opportunity. "It was a grievous breach of trust over a two and a half year period and she is deeply remorseful and wants to apologise publicly for the pain, distress and annoyance to her former employees," said Mr Kenneally. "It was completely out of character for her and she did not have a lavish lifestyle," he said, adding that the money she stole became part of her income for day to day expenses. "She cannot offer any substantive reason other than the stresses she was under," he said (Admitted)
Plea: Guilty
Outcome: Judge Patricia Ryan sentenced Reid to 200 hours of community service instead of two years in jail on six of the counts, and gave her a two year sentence suspended in full on the remaining six counts.
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