Michael Noonan given suspended sentence for property company theft

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

Michael Noonan received an overall four-year prison sentence, fully suspended for five years, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge Martina Baxter ordered him to keep the peace for the five-year period.

Noonan pleaded guilty to stealing €22,400 from Hyde Court Property Management Company Ltd on 26 August 2016. He also admitted having a fake invoice made out for Blitz property services on 6 April 2018 at a place in Templeogue, Dublin, and false accounting on 30 September 2015 in Hyde Court’s accounts for the year ended 31 March 2015. He had been indicted on 22 charges, and three pleas were accepted on the basis of full facts.

The court heard that 11 cheques totalling approximately €116,800 had been made out to Noonan. Defence counsel Shane Costelloe SC said Noonan had used his own money to pay day-to-day bills and created false invoices and wrote cheques to himself because he wanted to avoid being left out of pocket. Counsel said the false-accounting charge concerning an improper return related to Noonan’s failure to properly declare his own debt.

Judge Baxter said the thefts were premeditated and planned. She noted that Noonan was genuinely remorseful and that civil proceedings had concluded and money had been returned. Counsel told the court that Noonan would be legally disqualified from sitting on a management company for five years.