Suspended sentence for Galway-based bank official

A 59-year-old bank official targeted the accounts of elderly and vulnerable customers over a two-year period to steal over €60,000 which she used to fund her children’s third level education and pay her mortgage.

Sheila McLoughlin, from Cullane, Claremorris, also stole christening money lodged in the accounts of two new-born babies before receiving a “package” along with a pension on her “retirement” from the bank in November 2012.

She repaid the money at her sentence hearing yesterday at Galway Circuit Criminal Court and was given a suspended two and a half year sentence.

The mother of five pleaded guilty before the court last November to 23 sample charges of theft from fourteen client accounts at AIB, Vicar Street, Tuam, over a two-year period, from July, 2010 to November, 2012, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

Prosecuting barrister Conor Fahy BL, told the sentence hearing yesterday that McLoughlin received a gratuity or “package” and a pension when she retired from the bank in November 2012.

Detective Tom Breen gave evidence the then bank manager made a complaint to Gardaí in Tuam in April, 2013 regarding the misappropriation of money from customer accounts.

The bank carried out an audit and identified fourteen accounts had been affected.

McLoughlin had stolen varying sums of money from the accounts, ranging from €400 to €20,283.

Det. Breen read out the names of fourteen victims and the amounts which had been stolen from their accounts.

He said the thefts came to light when two widows noticed transactions on their accounts when they went to withdraw money to cover the expense of their husband’s funerals.

McLoughlin, he added, had also stolen christening money from the accounts of two new-born babies.

Another victim was a man with special needs, whose carer noticed discrepancies in his account.

“Most of the victims were elderly.  Two were new-born. There was very little activity on the accounts for a while and that is why she targeted them,” Det. Breen explained.

He said the bank had reimbursed the victims.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.