A FORMER clerk at a legal firm, who admitted stealing over a quarter of a million euro from his employer to feed a gambling habit, has been jailed for three years.
Gary Carroll (52), Fr Russell Road, Limerick, had pleaded guilty to 31 counts of theft, two counts of larceny and two counts of embezzlement.
Carroll carried out the fraud while working at Connolly Sellors Geraghty Solicitors in Limerick.
The divorced father of two stole cheques worth €260,784, from March 1999-May 2009.
Carroll told a partner in the firm, “I think I’ve f***ed up”, when the theft was discovered by the company in August 2009.
Mark Nicholas, defending, told Limerick Circuit Court, that Carroll fled the firm’s offices “in a distraught state” and drove to Ballybunion, Co Clare, to take his life.
“Mr Carroll describes how he was walking the cliffs in Ballybunion and considered suicide. He bolted. Terror overtook him and he thought about ending matters there and then.”
Carroll, who had worked for the firm for 31 years, was talked down from the cliffs by two nuns who had come on the scene.
Gardaí told the court that Carroll “was moving the money from one account to another to hide what he was doing”. Michael Collins SC, prosecuting, said: “In all the annual audits the company had, it was never discovered.”
Mr Nicholas told the court: “Mr Carroll wasn’t salting the money away for a rainy day. He had a love for the horses. When it was stumbled upon it was very quickly discovered . . . There was no significant, sophisticated cover-up here.”
Judge Carroll Moran heard Carroll had been treated by a psychiatrist and had attended counselling for depression and gambling.
“He has lost his marriage. He had been living a lie. He put in jeopardy a lot of things. He admits he lodged the cheques dishonestly. He is upset and distraught at what he has done,” Mr Nicholas added.
Judge Moran said Carroll “defrauded his employers” and “covered it up” but “it was inevitable that one day he would be caught”.
In weighing up Carroll’s early guilty plea, which had “saved the firm the embarrassment of having to give evidence in court”, the judge said the aggravating factors “far outweigh” the mitigation.
“There was a very significant sum of money involved. It went on for a period of 10 years. Partners in the firm between them have had to bear a huge loss and have had to endure the public tarnishing of their reputations. Although he was not a solicitor in the firm, he was in a position of trust, a position he abused.”
Judge Moran imposed three-year sentences on all counts, to run concurrently. He refused a request by Carroll’s defence to consider suspending part of the sentence. “No, I’ve considered that. I’m sorry but for me, this has been a very difficult case.”
Carroll and his two daughters hugged and cried before he was led away to begin his sentence.