A bankrupt former Fianna Fáil councillor and one-time general election candidate has admitted stealing from a court-appointed official assignee.
Gerard Killally (41), Edenderry, Co Offaly who is a former Fianna Fáil chairman of Offaly County Council, admitted taking shop equipment from a premises he used to own at Rochfortbridge, Co Westmeath, between October 2010 and February 2011.
The offences happened after he was declared bankrupt and the shop and its contents were under the control of the court’s official assignee Christopher Lehane.
Mr Killally pleaded guilty before Judge Anthony Hunt at Mullingar Circuit Court to three counts of theft and one of forging a letter.
He will be sentenced in November, when a medical report, character references and a compensation proposal will be presented to the court.
He was remanded on bail and his passport has been returned to him to allow him to take a two-week family holiday at the end of the month, but it must be given back to gardaí when he returns.
Legal Aid was granted to Mr Killally, with his counsel Stephen Byrne observing that his client’s financial background left him a little “stumped”.