A care assistant who stole almost €1,000 from his intellectually disabled clients has received a two year suspended sentence and been ordered to complete 240 hours of community service work.
Jorge Garcia (41) had been working in Cheeverstown in Dublin for six years when it was discovered that he had been stealing money from six residents’ accounts over a six month period.
The Spanish national stole a total of €960 by altering the figures on withdrawal forms and using a photocopy of an authorising signature. The court heard that Garcia, of Fortunes Walk, City Park, Saggart, has since repaid the money.
He pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to six sample counts from a total of 32 charges of theft from the residents on dates between April 18, 2013 and August 8, 2013. He has no previous convictions.
The court heard that Garcia had been sending money to Spain to assist his elderly parents. He later injured his back while working and came under financial pressure when he was put on sick pay.
Judge Desmond Hogan accepted that Garcia co-operated with the garda investigation but noted that the money was stolen from vulnerable people whom he had taken advantage of..
He said because of the disabilities of the residents ,Garcia’s plea assisted the gardaí in prosecuting him.
Judge Hogan bound Garcia to the peace for two years and placed him under the supervision of the Probation Services for 12 months.
Gda Kilbride told Fiona McGowan BL, prosecuting, that he spoke to the accountant in Cheeverstown in August 2013 after concerns were raised about a certain withdrawal form that appeared to have the amount of cash altered from €20 to €200.
The withdrawal forms had to be approved by the manager of Cheeverstown and the money would then be taken from the client’s accounts to allow them to pay for cinema trips, for dinner or to go shopping.
A number of withdrawal forms carried the manager’s signature but the signature appeared to be photocopied. The amounts withdrawn had also not been entered into the resident’s account book.
Gda Kilbride agreed that staff suspected Garcia and he later came voluntarily to the garda station where he made full admissions.
David Staunton BL, defending, told the court that his client had been sending money to Spain to assist his elderly parents. He later injured his back while working and came under financial pressure when he was put on sick pay.
“He very foolishly believed this was a source of cash that would assist him,” Mr Staunton told Judge Hogan.
He said Garcia is now in receipt of social welfare and has repaid the money in full having saved over a period of time.
Mr Staunton said his client accepts that it was a significant breach of trust and the residents were vulnerable people.
He asked the court to accept that Garcia has never come to garda attention before or since and has “expressed a huge degree of insight” into his offending behaviour.