A mother of ten has been sent to jail for four years after stealing €65,000 from a pensioner she claimed crashed into her car.
54-year-old Kathleen Lewis from Blackwater Heights, Youghal, Co Cork was described by Judge Rory McCabe as 'a thief who engaged in base dishonesty and despicable behaviour'.
Lewis had been found guilty by a jury at Waterford Circuit Court in February of more than 20 counts of theft against 88-year-old bachelor farmer George Berry from Ballynoe on the Waterford-Cork border.
She had claimed Mr Berry had hit her car in a car park in Killeagh in Cork in March 2006.
She demanded money from him and over a period of time, received more than €65,000 in cash payments from Mr Berry.
He took the money out of his savings and then borrowed money from neighbours and got loans from friends to pay Lewis.
Lewis had pleaded not guilty to the charges and the court heard today that €18,800 had been paid back to Mr Berry, leaving €46,000 outstanding.
Lewis apologised in court today for her actions.
In sentencing, Judge McCabe said Lewis had no appreciation of the gravity of the situation in her robbing a vulnerable, elderly man.
He said he had very little sympathy with the accused and what he described as 'a particularly nasty occurrence'.
The judge said there was no indication that Mr Berry would get back any more of the money.
He sentenced Lewis to four years in prison but suspended the final two years.
Afterwards Mr Berry said he was relieved it was all over and said he was happy with the sentence.
