Naas mother employed to clean house gets 12 months in prison today for theft

A Co Kildare cleaner broke down in tears at Naas District Court today  as she was being sentenced to 12 months in prison for  the theft of money from a child's wallet at a family home.

The 44- year-old mother of four was charged with three separate counts of theft at a house in  Naas between October 11, 2015 and November 12, 2015.

She was charged with the theft of €200, €160 and the last charge on November 12, 2015, of €25.

Evidence was given by the couple who employed her as a cleaner , how when she was employed in September , 2015 to clean the house, it was agreed that she would carry out two hours work per week at a cost of €25.

In court, the father of the boy whose money it is understood she stole,  outlined how his office door was the only room that the cleaner was instructed not to clean.

The court heard how money was put into a wallet in the office, that cash was his son’s birthday money. According to him there was about €500 in the wallet.

His suspicions were aroused when he said he went to put more money in the wallet and found that there was just €300 left.

The court heard how he said he could not be ‘100 per cent certain at the time.’

He said: “I asked my wife, she said that she had not touched it. First I thought that I had taken it out and not replaced it.”

When €160 was noticed missing from the wallet, he asked his son.

He said: “He swore that it was not him.”

He outlined to the court how his attention began to shift to the cleaning lady and that it was decided to activate an existing security camera in his office. Detective Wayne Kelly gave a narrative of the CCTV footage today in court, while the footage was personally examined by Judge Desmond Zaidan.

It was heard how the cleaner entered the office and €20 is visible on the ground. It shows her examining a brief case on the ground. It also shows  her putting her hand over the camera and polishing the door handle before leaving.

According to the man in the house, cleaning money of €25, always left on a clock radio, downstairs had also been taken.

In court, she said that she entered the office because she had been had given a note from the woman in the house telling her to take her pay from the wallet.  But the woman denied giving a note to the cleaner, telling her to enter the office.

The court heard how there were several attempts to call the cleaner and text her after seeing the CCTV footage. The court heard how €25 and a key was later handed into a local shop by the cleaner for the couple to collect.

Defence barrister Sarah Connolly asked the woman in the house, why if there were suspicions about the cleaner, did she send the cleaner a whatsapp message informing her that her sister-in-law could give her additional hours as a cleaner.

She replied  to the court how at the time, she could not believe the cleaner had stolen the money and that is why she was recommending her to her sister-in-law.

Detective Kelly gave evidence how in a statement, the cleaner  said: “I did not take €480, I took €25.”

The defence barrister argued to the couple that the cleaner could not have committed two of thefts she is accused of because she was not working at the time.

In court, the cleaner gave evidence that on October 11, 2015, she had surgery at the Avoca Clinic for cosmetic surgery on her breasts and was off for a month. The court heard how the surgery cost €4,500 which she said in sworn evidence that her husband paid for it.

She told the court how her husband, whom she is separated from since December last year, earns up to €50,000 per year.

The accused said that she took up the cleaning jobs as she is independent and was bored at home.

Prosecuting, Garda Inspector Mel Smyth said: “She did not have permission to clean the office. Her wage had been left in the front room.”

Judge Desmond Zaidan said that after examining all of the evidence under cross examination, the accused's  evidence was ’embarrassing’ and that she was ‘severely economical with the truth.’

The defence barrister outlined how the accused has four children, two of whom are adults and two are teenagers.

The accused was sentenced to 12 months in custody, four months imposed for each of the three charges. In the event of appeal, she was ordered to pay €400.