A Teaching Council fitness-to-teach inquiry has heard evidence regarding a former principal from the midlands who stole more than €100,000 from the school he was working in.
The 381 instances of theft occurred in a primary school between 2017 and 2019. The man was tried on indictment, found guilty and subsequently sentenced to six years, with the final 4½ years suspended.
The thefts stemmed from the use of a credit card and cheques, on which the man forged the signature of the chairperson of the board of management.
Eoghan O’Sullivan BL, appearing for the director of the Teaching Council, argued that the man’s convictions affect his fitness to teach.
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The man, who is now working as a teacher, said he was arrested one week before Christmas 2020, which came as “a shock”, and that he fully co-operated with the investigation.
He said the hardest thing about his incarceration was being separated from his son, who was then “four going on five”.
The conditions on which part of the teacher’s jail sentence was suspended included him paying €60,000 to the school in €20,000 instalments on the first, second and third anniversaries of his release from custody.
However, the man said that on the first anniversary, he came to an agreement with the school to pay back just €10,000, as he was on jobseekers’ allowance and looking for employment in the education sector.
The man is currently teaching in a primary school in the east region, where he began working last December and was subsequently offered a permanent position.
Representatives of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland provided support to the teacher at the inquiry.
Before the hearing, the Teaching Council panel agreed to impose reporting restrictions to protect the man’s anonymity. Further amendments were made to the order at Thursday’s hearing, including not reporting the names of any witnesses, except those called in a professional capacity, the name of the sentencing judge, the nature of a disability the teacher has, and the name of the school where he is employed.
However, before drawing the inquiry to a conclusion, the panel adjourned to consider its directions in light of queries from The Irish Times regarding the order on anonymity.
The panel, through its chairperson Mary Magner, and after considering legal advice from legal assessor Ronan Kennedy SC, ruled it could be reported that the inquiry related to a former principal from the midlands who was affected by an addiction.
During the inquiry, Cathy Maguire SC, on behalf of the teacher, called Prof Colin O’Gara, a consultant psychiatrist at St John of God Hospital, who works in the field of addiction, to give evidence. He said he met the teacher in June 2023 for an initial assessment and told the inquiry he had presented with a long history of severe addiction.
Prof O’Gara cautioned against how the media may portray the addiction from which the teacher was suffering, and the offences for which he was convicted, as he said this merely adds to the stigma associated with the addiction.
“It’s part of the public shaming, some people don’t have problems like that, it’s misery heaped on misery,” he said.
The teacher also outlined the history of his addiction, which began in 2007. He gave evidence regarding the death of his younger brother, who was afflicted by the same addiction, through suicide. The teacher also outlined the steps he is taking to remain in remission.
Ms Magner set June 3rd as a preliminary date for the reconvening of the inquiry.
