Courts / Dublin / Report

Vodafone employee who stole €22k gets suspended sentence

Summary

Con Cowman, a 31‑year‑old Vodafone retail advisor, was found to have stolen €22,500 by issuing refunds to his own bank card after the till had been balanced each day. The thefts, all directed to the same card, were discovered because Cowman was the only staff member scheduled on the days the transactions occurred. He admitted the wrongdoing when questioned by HR and was immediately suspended. Cowman later cooperated with Gardaí, secured a bank loan to reimburse Vodafone, and pleaded guilty to ten counts of theft covering 50 incidents from 1 January 2020 to 12 March 2021. At the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Melanie Greally accepted his guilty pleas, lack of prior convictions, cooperation, and loan, and imposed a headline sentence of 42 months. She reduced this to 28 months, which she suspended in full on the condition that he repay the stolen amount.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Vodafone employee who stole €22k gets suspended sentence. Charges or matters: ten counts of stealing from Vodafone. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• January 1, 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 12, 2021 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2022-11-30 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Theft

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Read the original CNI report