A man who stole €140,000 from his employer has been jailed for three years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
John Kane (42), Kilcarrig Green, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to eight sample charges of stealing from Robert Horne Ltd/Paperlinx Ltd, in Westgate Business Park, Ballymount, between November 2006 and March 2009. Kane was working as a controller in the financial department at the time.
He stole a cheque book and lodged cheques to his wife’s account, made unauthorised payments to his wife’s credit card and stole cash from the firm amounting to a loss of €140,000.
Kane has chronic pancreatitis and the court heard he had attended alcoholics and gamblers anonymous.
Garda Pádraic Jennings agreed with Gerry O’Brien SC, defending, that Kane had hoped to pay back the firm through gambling winnings, but when this did not happen it led to a “vicious circle” of stealing.
Garda Jennings told Michael Bowman, prosecuting, that the firm became aware of the missing funds in 2010 and Kane was dismissed after an internal inquiry. Gardaí were alerted and his home was searched.
Judge Martin Nolan said it was a serious offence for Kane to steal from his employer. He accepted Kane was very ill, had no previous convictions and had been a good family man.