€325KDMEEIR CREDIT UNION THIEF CAGED

A WOMAN was jailed for two years yesterday after stealing €325,000 from a credit union.

Leona Daly, an administrator at the Knocknaheeny/hollyhill branch of Gurranabraher Credit Union in Cork, had admitted 167 theft and fraud charges between 2011 and 2016.

Cork District Court heard the mother of two from The Meadows, Holyhill, joined the organisation in 2005 and pilfered sums ranging from €500 to €11,000.

When the financial irregularities came to light she handed herself in to gardai and made full admissions in the case.

Det Garda Maura O’riordan of the Garda Economic Crime Investigation in Cork said Daly previously handed in €8,000 by way of compensation earlier this year.

A further €2,000 was furnished to the court yesterday.

She said Daly proposed to pay €400 a week in compensation to her employers.

Barrister Niamh Stewart said her client had made full voluntary admissions to gardai about her activities.

A proposal was made to Judge Sean O Donnabhain that Daly pay back €1,600 a month over a period of five years.

Her husband David, whom the court heard had no knowledge of his wife’s theft, gave an undertaking to the court to sell his car and to make the monthly payments on her behalf.

No explanation was given as to where the funds were spent or the motivation for the theft. Ms Stewart said her client suffers from “chronic depression”.

In a statement read out to the court Gurranabraher Credit Union said it had suffered “reputational damage” arising out of the theft of the funds by their employee.

It emphasised its great difficulty with the breach of trust which occurred during the five year period.

Judge O Donnabhain said he fully accepted Mr Lynch was “completely innocent” and was not privy to the irregularities his wife was committing.

In sentencing he added proposals put forward for financial compensation were completely unrealistic and “not deliverunit able.” He said the husband of the accused had been “through the wringer” and had suffered distress because of the behaviour of his spouse.

The judge described the breach of trust as being “phenomenal” particularly given that credit unions are local institutions set up for the benefit of members.

He acknowledged the plea in the case was of massive benefit to the State as fraud is difficult to prove and trials of this nature can be “complicated and difficult.”

Judge O Donnabhain said a custodial sentence had to be imposed following a breach of this magnitude.