Courts / Dublin / Report

Accountant who stole €90k from primary school gets fully suspended sentence

Date
2026-01-21
Stage
Sentence
Primary locality
Balbriggan
County
Dublin

Summary

Roy Hicks (73), an accountant who stole over €90,000 from St George's National School in Balbriggan, received a fully suspended sentence of two years and five months. Hicks admitted to 22 counts of theft between 2019 and 2021, using the stolen funds to keep his accountancy business in Wales afloat. He was arrested in 2023 and suffered a stroke shortly after. The court heard that Hicks had no previous convictions and expressed remorse for his actions. Judge Orla Crowe acknowledged the breach of trust but considered his health issues and the likelihood of him not reoffending. The sentence was suspended on strict conditions, and Hicks was not required to compensate the school due to his inability to do so. Roy Hicks pleaded guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Accountant who stole €90k from primary school gets fully suspended sentence. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

Why: Mr Thompson said his client did an "awful lot of good work" for the school previously and had been asked to assist on the board because of his experience as a book-keeper. CNI source report

Case subjects

Roy Hicks

Defendant

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Crowe said the offence warranted a headline sentence of four years, before she imposed a sentence of two years and five months which she suspended in full on strict conditions.

Places mentioned

Court Venue
  • Dublin
  • Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Sentence Theft

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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