Courts / Dublin / Report
Single mum avoids jail for stealing welfare payments
Summary
Rose Kiely, 35, of Lucan, pleaded guilty in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to four counts of stealing €20,000 in social welfare payments from the Department of Social Protection between May 2013 and December 2014. She claimed the theft was an act of desperation after her partner's death and used the money to pay bills and support her child. The court accepted her admissions and the lack of prior convictions, and Judge Martin Nolan imposed a two‑year custodial sentence that was fully suspended. Kiely is now repaying the stolen amount at €28.20 per week from her own welfare entitlement, a repayment plan that will take 13 years to complete. The case involved Garda investigations that uncovered a DSP card in another woman's name and CCTV evidence from a post office. Kiely cooperated fully with the authorities and stated that the funds were spent on household expenses and her daughter's activities rather than socialising.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Single mum avoids jail for stealing welfare payments. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- May 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
- December 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2013 and 2015 Other
- 2016-07-21 Publication
Why: An investigation revealed that Kiely had attended to have her photo taken purporting to be this woman in order to receive a DSP card and had also later attended to have a photo taken for a card in her own name. CNI source report
Places mentioned
- Dublin
- Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
- Kiely's house
Topics
Stage Hearing Or Decision Theft
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