Man whose wife stole €800k from Virgin Media gets two years for money laundering
A MAN whose wife stole more than €800,000 from Virgin Media, where she worked in payroll, has been jailed for money laundering.
John Murray, 43, pleaded guilty to three sample counts, representing ten charges of possessing the proceeds of crime, on dates between January 2009 and July 2019.
Murray, of Kilfenora Road in Kimmage, south Dublin, was sentenced to two years in prison after Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard his wife Kellie Walton, 42, transferred €872,470 to his Bank of Ireland account over the ten-year period.
The court also heard Ms Walton had been employed as payroll administrator for the company, formerly known as TV3, apart from two periods when she took maternity leave. Over the decade, Walton transferred an average of €80,000 a year to her husband’s account, most of which was spent on foreign holidays, premium TV channels and phone subscriptions.
Passing sentence yesterday, Judge Martin Nolan said Murray should have known at a very early stage that his wife was stealing and that it was ‘very reckless’ of him to have let it continue. He noted that the couple, who have four children, had squandered all the money.
When counsel for the defence said there was a ‘tragic quality’ to the fact the couple had been left with nothing, Judge Nolan suggested it was perhaps more ‘tragicomic’.
The judge said Murray has no record of conviction, a very good work history and an impressive array of personal references. He sentenced him to two years in prison.
The court heard Walton was sentenced in January 2023 to four years, with two years suspended.
She has already been released and is working part-time in a barbershop, the court heard.
Garda David Jennings told Kieran Kelly BL, prosecuting, that Murray initially denied the charges and was due to start trial last month, but pleaded guilty on the day of his trial.
Gda Jennings said Walton’s salary as payroll administrator for Virgin Media was ‘in or around €30,000 a year’. ‘She copped a glitch in the system and was able to exploit it,’ said the garda.
The court heard that Virgin Media had three separate payroll systems for staff, casual workers and UK workers.
Gda Jennings said Walton invented details of someone who was owed money by the company and then regularly transferred money into her husband’s Bank of Ireland account.
The offending came to light after an employee in Virgin Media’s head office noticed unauthorised payments.
The court heard the majority of the money was spent on foreign holidays and subscriptions to channels including Sky Sports.
Murray was arrested and acknowledged in a Garda interview that the Bank of Ireland account was his.
The court heard €18,000 was transferred to the bank account of a relative who was completely innocent and unaware the money was the proceeds of crime. This money has been frozen and will be returned to Virgin Media, along with a further €12,473 remaining in Murray’s account.
Virgin Media remains at a ‘substantial loss’, Judge Nolan said.
Gda Jennings agreed with Dean Kelly SC, defending, that the money had been ‘squandered’.
Gda Jennings also agreed that the scheme was Walton’s ‘brainchild’. Mr Kelly said Murray has been working consistently since he left school at the age of 15, including in car valeting, Rentokil and most recently at a hire company where he has worked for the last five years.
The court heard that Murray’s employer, who is aware of the charges, wrote a lengthy letter to court explaining that Murray is in a trusted financial position within the company, and that he is a keyholder and handles cash.
Two medical reports were also handed into court, showing that Murray has been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease for which he has been hospitalised. He is also on anti-depressants after
‘Squandered all the money’
Living in ‘reduced circumstances’
suffering a depressive breakdown, the court heard. Letters were also submitted from Murray’s son, sister and mother, urging clemency.
Mr Kelly said Murray’s culpability was ‘of a lesser order’ than that of his wife, who had committed a serious breach of trust against her company. ‘He recognised an increase in his family fortunes, but turned his face away about the mechanisms behind it,’ counsel said, adding that there were no aggravating factors in the case against Murray.
Mr Kelly said his client’s family are now living in ‘reduced circumstances’ in a rented apartment.
Judge Nolan said Murray was unlikely to reoffend, but added: ‘Nobody can launder this amount of money and not go to prison.’