A nurse convicted of poisoning and assaulting patients in a hospital has received three suspended sentences of four years each.
Noreen Mulholland (35) of Park Road, Portadown, Co Armagh, and formerly of Runabeg Close, Kildare, was convicted in October of poisoning and assaulting John Gethings (77), Baltinglass, Co Wicklow, on March 1st, 2003.
She was also found guilty of assaulting Seamus Doherty (80), now deceased, of Rathcoffey, Naas, Co Kildare.
Judge Frank O'Donnell told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today the two men had been entrusted into her care and her behaviour represented a "serious breach of trust towards the most vulnerable in our society".
The judge said it was his opinion, having considered Mulholland's reaction to the trial and to previous professional criticism that she was in a "continuous and consistent trenchant denial" about her behaviour.
But Judge O'Donnell said he had also taken into account that apart from the two incidents on which she was convicted, witnesses in the trial described Mulholland's "performance" in glowing terms.
He added that he believed Mulholland had already suffered and said he had no doubt that she would continue to do so, now that she would never again practice as a nurse.
He said it was his "honest opinion" that she wouldn't come before the courts again and that nobody would be served by her spending time in prison.
He sentenced her to two concurrent four year terms on both assault charges and an another concurrent two years for poisoning Mr Gethings. All three sentences were suspended for five years.