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Former Mountbellew Co-Op manager pleads guilty to thefts from employers
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A lock, found intact after a reported burglary led to the arrest and ultimate conviction of a man for the theft of over €57,000 worth of goods from his employers.
Former manager of Mountbellew Arrabawn Co-op, 56 year old Michael Bodkin, of Corkskeagh, Gurteen, Ballinasloe, pleaded guilty in court in December to the theft of over €57,000 worth of agricultural products from the company between 2010 and 2012.
He also pleaded guilty to wasting Garda time and to making false statements claiming someone else committed the offences.
He has now appeared for sentencing before before Galway Circuit Criminal Court.
Inspector Declan Rock, Loughrea, gave evidence at the sentence hearing that Gardai received a call from the accused on Sunday morning, July 22, 2012, that there had been a break-in at the Arrabawn Co-Op in Mountbellew.
They met Bodkin there and he showed them a broken window upstairs and said there had been a burglary.
Gardai became suspicious when they found a lock for a gate to the premises which was undamaged.
They checked back over Garda files and saw Bodkin had reported similar type burglaries in 2010 and 2011 with the same modus operandi.
Bodkin admitted everything when questioned.
Judge Rory McCabe said the probation report stated the accused posed a low risk of reoffending and he was fearful of getting a custodial sentence.
He imposed a 12-month sentence in respect of each of the theft charges to run concurrently, which he then suspended for three years.
He imposed two, concurrent six-month sentences for wasting Garda time and for making false reports, which he also suspended for three years.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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