THE owner of six stores in the State which sell perfume was granted a High Court order yesterday temporarily restraining the stores' group manager from reducing his assets below £50,000 and from diminishing any Irish Permanent account to which he has access.

Mr George Bermingham, counsel for Perfume Shop Ltd and Perfume Shop (Tallaght) Ltd, said his clients alleged that Mr Barry Connolly of Saddlers Court, Ardee Road, Rathmines, Dublin, had been systematically defrauding the two companies.

Mr Bermingham read an affidavit by Mr Thomas McKeagney, a director and shareholder of the two companies of Winkfield, Windsor, England, who said inquiries were still continuing and it appeared the amount of the fraud was about £40,000.

Mr McKeagney alleged the fraud had occurred at stores in Tallaght, Dun Laoghaire, and St Stephen's Green Centre.

The Tallaght store had shortfalls of £19,188 (which was likely to increase following investigation) and £11,027 the Dun Laoghaire store had a shortfall of £5,138 and St Stephen's Green Centre store had a deficit of between £3,000 and £4,000.

Mr McKeagney said he had meetings with Mr Connolly last week. Except for a claim by Mr Connolly that he paid Christmas bonuses to Tallaght staff, no explanation was forthcoming. A further meeting was arranged for March 19th but Mr Connolly failed to appear.

Mr McKeagney said he was concerned Mr Connolly would secrete the alleged misappropriated monies. He believed the reason why Mr Connolly was so anxious to be out of a March 16th meeting before 5 p.m. was to allow him an opportunity to withdraw or transfer sums of money before financial institutions closed for the bank holiday weekend.

Mr Justice McCracken, granting the injunction, made it returnable for next Monday.