A carer who took money from her best friend’s bank account while the victim was suffering from dementia received a suspended three-month prison sentence yesterday.
Claire O’Keefe, 64, withdrew €4,900 over a five-month period in 2018 and claimed she put the money in a brown envelope and dropped it in to the Capuchin Day Centre, a homeless shelter in Dublin.
The community volunteer’s elderly friend was a ward of court during that time but O’Keefe had no permission to take the money, Blanchardstown District Court heard.
The victim, who had been suffering from dementia, has since died from Covid-19 and O’Keefe claimed she had directed her to donate the money to charity anonymously.
The cash was taken from the victim’s Permanent TSB account in seven ATM visits with €700 withdrawn each time.
O’Keefe, a mother of five and a grandmother of five, from Cherryfield Close, Hartstown, admitted seven counts of theft on dates in March, April, May and July 2018.
At a previous hearing, Judge Jones adjourned the case as he wanted gardai to verify the money had been received by the charity.
However, Detective Garda Martin Flood yesterday said the charity had no record of any such donation.
The defendant, who is a carer for her husband who recently suffered a stroke, initially declined to name the charity.
She claimed those details would “breach” her friend’s confidence, but she later wrote it on a piece of paper for the judge. The money was later repaid by the bank.
Det Gda Flood told Judge Jones that O’Keefe had no previous convictions.
He said a civil case in relation to the deceased woman’s will was due to be heard soon and he added it “may become criminal”.
Judge Jones asked if the money had been repaid and he was told it hadn’t been. Mr MacLoughlin said O’Keefe was a woman of “limited means” and could only afford to repay about €50 per week.
The judge suspended the three-month prison term for two years and directed O’Keefe to be of good behaviour during that period.
