John Murphy conviction upheld for charity theft

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

John Murphy’s conviction for theft was upheld by the Court of Appeal on 1 March 2019; he had received a wholly suspended three-year sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 16 March 2016. The theft involved €18,643 taken from the Children to Lapland Appeal between June and July 2010.

Murphy had denied four theft counts, arguing that the charity owed him money and that transfers between accounts were normal. The appeal court rejected that argument, finding the evidence of an honest belief that he was entitled to the money was thin, and dismissed the appeal.