Three men, including a supervisor in a compact disc company, and an ESB technician, who helped steal £61,000 worth of unreleased Microsoft Windows '98 software, have been given suspended sentences. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the software was smuggled out of the Sonopress premises in Swords Industrial Park and stored in an ESB company car three weeks before its official release date.
Alan Monds (28), of Williams Park, Rathmines, Dublin, and Patrick Harrison (37), of Rowlagh Avenue, Clondalkin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to stealing 872 Windows '98 CD-ROM disks on unknown dates between May 21st and June 4th, 1998. James Geraghty (54), of Neilstown Drive, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to handling the software on June 4th, 1998.
Judge Kieran O'Connor said the men had previously impeccable records. He imposed three-year suspended sentences on all three and ordered them to do 200 hours community service.