The former head of RTE's transmissions network has been given a five years suspended sentence for defrauding the organisation of £164,000. John McGrath resigned from his position, lost his pension rights and retirement gratuity and has reimbursed RTE with the full amount, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court was told.
McGrath (57), married but separated, of Alder Court Park, Blessington Rd, Tallaght pleaded guilty to seven sample charges out of 50 on the indictment of larceny and obtaining money by false pretences from 1992 to 1996.
Det Sgt John McCann, of the National Bureau of Fraud Investigation, said some of the charges involved the purchase of televisions, videos and other forms of electronic equipment which McGrath used in his successful pub, the Celbridge House, Maynooth Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare.
Defence counsel Sean Ryan SC pleaded it was not a case for jail because there would be no social purpose or gain for society from such a sentence.
Counsel said his client had exhibited all the contrition he could and had admitted his guilt from the start. He told the gardai he was relieved when he heard about the internal audit which unmasked all this because that ended "this crazy episode" of his doublelife of deception.
Mr Ryan said McGrath told RTE he would pay back all the money and had done so, as well as £7,000 administrative costs.
Judge Kieran O'Connor directed that he also perform 240 hours community service.
He said McGrath was "an extraordinary person" who rose to the top as an engineer in giving 25 years service to RTE and then began to steal from the organisation. He was motivated to impose a suspended sentence by McGrath's guilty plea, and the restitution he made.
Judge O'Connor added: "I'm also strongly influenced by the fact that you employ 14 people. You have inflicted your own punishment on yourself because you can now only be held in odium by your colleagues in the Institution of Engineers".
Det Sgt McCann told prosecuting counsel Tom O'Connell the Garda investigation began when an internal RTE audit showed up discrepancies in an account McGrath was permitted by RTE to have in his own name.
McGrath admitted irregularities in his account when called to a meeting with senior management on October 24, 1996. He resigned some days later. The internal RTE investigation continued and showed up more irregularities.