A bursar of a private secondary school has been jailed for one year for stealing €500,000 from the school to fund a gambling addiction.
The judge said that, despite mitigation, including her selling her home and signing over her pension to repay most of the money, the “egregious breach of trust” had to be marked with a custodial sentence.
Mary Higgins (63), with an address at Hawthorn Lawn, Castleknock, was sentenced by Judge Orla Crowe at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Thursday. She had pleaded guilty to stealing €500,000 from Mount Sackville Secondary School in Chapelizod between January 1st, 2012, and March 23, 2017.
The court heard last month that she had spent 12 years attending the school and 24 years working there.
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Judge Crowe remarked today that it was “an unusual situation for a woman of her age, whose life revolved around her work in that school and who developed a gambling problem”.
However, she said that Higgins was in a position of trust and had “committed what was an egregious breach of trust over an extended period of time”. She described as an aggravating factor the “considerable amount of money” involved.
The court previously heard that she told gardaí that she had hoped and prayed every day for “a big win” to pay the school back.
At a previous hearing, Det Gda Brendan O’Hora stated that Higgins had controlled all aspects of the school’s cash flow, was the main signatory on its bank accounts and managed the lodgements. When cash was received in the school, it was placed in a folder for her, and she decided how it was to be allocated.
He explained that, while parents received receipts, there was no cash receipts book, no copy of receipts was ever kept and there was no oversight.
However, it was another employee who prepared ledger cards for each child attending the school. This employee noticed that, from time to time, they were rewritten by Ms Higgins.
The principal was informed, and, in March 2017, it was decided that an auditor would be brought in.
Higgins told the principal that she had taken cash from the school over time and used it for her gambling addiction. She said she had taken about €500,000 and that she had a property she could sell.
She was so distressed that the school was concerned for her wellbeing and suggested she attend her GP. She was placed on administrative leave.
The Director of Public Prosecutions proceeded on the basis of the defendant’s own admissions.
Det Gda O’Hora said that Higgins had co-operated fully with gardaí and the forensic accountant. She had stressed she was the only person involved in the theft.
She stated during interview that she had spent all of the money on gambling and was able to identify money having been paid to bookies.
The detective explained that she was able to hide what she’d been doing as some fees were paid in advance. She had no previous convictions and had since repaid €470,949.62.
Under cross-examination from Ronan Kennedy SC, defending, the detective agreed that this was an unsophisticated offence,
and he accepted that she had had unfettered access to the cash due to a lack of oversight.
The court heard that she was very remorseful during her interviews with the gardaí. She told them that she had spent 36 years at the school, was not married, had no children and that her job was her life.
Det Gda O’Hora added that her social life, too, and therefore her whole life, had revolved around the school.
“I believe she showed true remorse,” he added. “Notwithstanding what she’d done, she was a pleasure to deal with.”
The court heard that she had attended the Rutland Centre for her addiction and had also engaged with counsellors for personal therapy.
Higgins has since returned to education, studying addiction and counselling so she could use her own experience to help others. She’d received a postgraduate qualification from Trinity College, and a Master’s degree in counselling psychotherapy and has been providing voluntary counselling services to others.
The court heard that she had sold her home and another apartment, and had also signed over her pension to repay the money.
She now lives with her 93-year-old mother and receives €260 per week in carer’s allowance to provide the 24-hour care she needs.
Mr Kennedy said that during her time at Mount Sackville, she had overseen maintenance and capital building, with €7 million in profits reinvested into the school.
Things changed in 2012, and some responsibilities were removed from her, impacting her self-esteem. She found herself having more time on her hands and, with no hobbies, she engaged in the secretive activity of gambling.
“She was living a double life,” he said.
He noted that there was a shortfall of €29,000 in what she had repaid, but said that she was committed to paying it back if made a condition of her sentence.
Counsel handed in several testimonials from current and former staff at the school, including a former principal and deputy principal. Letters from family members were also handed in.
Judge Crowe imposed a three-year sentence but, in light of the substantial mitigation, she suspended the final two years on her own bond of €100.
