Bank official pleads guilty to theft of €61,000 from customers

A 59-year-old bank official pleaded guilty this morning to the theft of over €61,000 from fourteen client accounts at the Allied Irish Bank in Tuam.

Sheila Mc’Loughlin, from Cullane, Claremorris, Co Mayo, pleaded guilty before Galway Circuit Criminal Court to 24 charges of theft from clients’ accounts at AIB, Vicar Street, Tuam, over a two-year period, between July, 2010 and November, 2012, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

A total of €61,887 in cash was stolen by the accused from the accounts of both male and female customers.

One male customer had a total of €19,838 cash stolen from his account on five different dates between June and November, 2012.

A female customer had a total of €9,610 stolen from her account on dates between February and March, 2011, while another woman had €7,280 stolen from her account between July and October, 2102.

Mc’Loughlin stole  €8,781 in one transaction from yet another female customer’s account in July 2010.

The other customers suffered thefts of between €450 and €5,000 from their respective accounts.

Defence barrister, Deirdre Browne asked for a probation report and a psychiatric report to be prepared on her client prior to sentence.

Judge Rory McCabe directed the preparation of both reports and he remanded the accused on continuing bail to appear before the court again on February 24 for sentence.