Suspended prison sentence for care worker who stole from elderly resident at Clare nursing home
A CARE worker who stole more than €3,000 from a pensioner, has avoided an immediate prison sentence.
At Killaloe District Court, sitting in Ennis, Lorraine Hennessy admitted stealing €3,011 from Terrance Stevenson over a six-week period.
The 4-year-old, who has an address at Glor na Srutha, Clonlara, south-east Clare pleaded guilty to 22 theft charges relating to offences which occurred between August 20, 2020 and October 5, 2020.
Imposing sentence, Judge Alec Gabbett said Ms Hennessy had committed “a breach of trust” by stealing the monies from Mr Stevenson’s bank account.
He said: "It is an extremely serious thing to do to a vulnerable party - an elderly man and taking his bank card unbeknownst to himself."
The 22 thefts from Mr Stevenson were carried out through a VISA debit card that Mr Stevenson had given to Ms Hennessy to get his messages.
Detective Garda John Jenks told the court that the thefts only came to light in January 2021 after direct debit payments from Mr Stevenson’s bank account to the nursing home bounced “because there was no cash in the account”.
He said that the circumstances of the case “are sad adding that Mr Stevenson became a resident of the nursing home in December 2018 but didn’t have any visitors during his time there before his death on January 25, 2021.
In response, Judge Gabbett said: “Isn’t that why it all happened? That there was no one monitoring of his own affairs.”
Detective Jenks said Mr Stevenson knew he was dying when he provided gardai with a statement in January 2020 about the thefts.
In the case, Ms Hennessy made 22 separate payments totalling €3,011 with Mr Stevenson’s direct debit card.
Mr Stevenson, the court heard, was a single man and moved to Killaloe in east Clare from the UK around 30 years ago.
Solicitor for Ms Hennessy, Daragh Hassett said his client had used the money to pay for "domestic bills” and that she had lost her partner six years ago.
After reading a Probation Report, Judge Gabbett said: “It is a very sad story. The Probation Report reads that she was driven to steal effectively.”
Mr Hassett said: “Ms Hennessy is totally ashamed of her actions. Totally ashamed.”
Det Jenks said that he went to Ms Hennessy’s home in early 2021 with the intention of arresting her "but she put her arms up straight away". He said she was aware that Mr Stevenson was dead and that she was fully co-operative and pleaded guilty very early.
The detective said all monies have been repaid and that Ms Hennessy lost her job as a result of the thefts but now has alternative employment.
Judge Gabbett said under normal circumstances, the offence would warrant a custodial sentence, but he said that he was suspending the prison term for 24 months due to the “very positive’ Probation Report on mother, Ms Hennessy which said that there is a very low risk of re-offending.
Ms Hennessy has no previous convictions and Judge Gabbett said that he also took into account Ms Hennessy’s early plea of guilty, her own circumstances at the time and that she has insight into her behaviour.