Courts / Dublin / Report
No jail for travel agent who stole from charity for terminally ill kids
Summary
John Murphy, also known as Con Murphy, a 66-year-old travel agent, received a suspended three-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following his conviction for four counts of theft. The charges alleged that between June and July 2010, Murphy stole €18,643 from the Children to Lapland Appeal, a charity he founded in 1987 to send terminally ill children to Lapland. Although the validated procedural stage is an appeal, the report details the sentencing where Judge Patrick McCartan suspended the custodial term. This decision followed the disclosure that Murphy's family had raised the full amount to compensate for the theft, alongside considerations of his age, poor health, and a 2010 bladder cancer diagnosis. Judge McCartan noted the sentence recognized the breach of trust. As a condition of the suspended sentence, Murphy was banned from engaging in fundraising for three years. The judge expressed grave misgivings regarding Murphy's subsequent involvement with the Make it Happen Foundation, alleging he effectively ran the organization despite directors claiming otherwise. The judge warned Murphy that he was "under the microscope." The compensation funds, as the original charity entered liquidation, are to be split between Crumlin Children's Hospital and Barretstown camp. Defense counsel Patrick Reynolds BL argued the new foundation was dissolved in January and that Murphy had no access to its accounts.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: No jail for travel agent who stole from charity for terminally ill kids. Charges or matters: four counts of theft between June and July 2010 in the Dublin area totalling €18,643. Procedural stage: appeal
When:
- July 2010 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2016-03-16 Publication
Why: The two directors said they have since distanced themselves from it because of concerns over the way the finances were being handled. CNI source report
Case subjects
Appellant
Charges: four counts of theft between June and July 2010 in the Dublin area totalling €18,643 (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: Judge McCartan suspended a three year sentence today after hearing Murphy's family had raised the full amount to compensate for the theft. The judge said he couldn't take this into account when sentencing but banned Murphy from engaging in fundraising for three years as part of the terms of his suspended sentence. "Your client needs to be on notice that he's under the microscope", the judge told Patrick Reynolds BL, defending.
Defendant
Charges: four counts of theft between June and July 2010 in the Dublin area totalling €18,643 (Alleged Or Contested)
Outcome: Judge McCartan suspended a three year sentence today after hearing Murphy's family had raised the full amount to compensate for the theft. The judge said he couldn't take this into account when sentencing but banned Murphy from engaging in fundraising for three years as part of the terms of his suspended sentence. "Your client needs to be on notice that he's under the microscope", the judge told Patrick Reynolds BL, defending.
Places mentioned
- Crumlin Children's Hospital
- Church Road
- Dublin
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Topics
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