Mother Who Stole €18K From Bookies Gets Suspended Sentence

A mother has been given a suspended sentence and ordered to perform 200 hours community service after she was convicted of stealing €18,000 from her employer.

Jennifer Good, 39, of The Way, Huntersrun, Clonee, stamped blank betting dockets when she was alone in the store, later filling in winning details and collecting cash. She has since repaid all the money taken.

Good began the swindle when she ran into financial difficulties after her marriage ended.

She pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to five counts of theft from Pat McManus Bookmakers, Little Pace Shopping Centre, Clonee on dates between November 2004 and June 2005.

The court heard the thefts came to light when Good’s employer, Brian Murray, happened to see her put a betting docket through the system when she was alone in the shop.

Mr Murray had then decided to do an audit of his accounts and found 180 suspicious dockets.

These bets had all been placed while Good was on duty and had all been settled by Good. He also noted that the dockets were unusually all in pristine condition.

Judge Katherine Delahunt noted Good’s remorse and low risk of re-offending. The Judge imposed concurrent one year sentences on three of the counts and made two community service orders of 100 hours.

Good had no previous convictions and was separated from her husband with whom she had two young children.

Mr Luán Ó Braonáin SC, defending Good, said she had had difficulties with maintenance payments from her husband, which had now been resolved, after their separation and had run into arrears in the mortgage and other bills.

Mr Ó Braonáin said she had collected €18,000 from various sources to repay her employer and felt a great deal of shame for her actions. He said she was unlikely to come to garda attention again and asked the court to treat her as leniently as possible.

(DW)