Ex garda admits stealing from elderly woman

A former garda has pleaded guilty to stealing almost €2,000 from an 82-year-old woman after he was sent to investigate a break-in at her home over two years ago.

David Foran, 29, also admitted stealing money from his garda colleagues after they had given him the money for a Christmas party, a weekend away, a trip to a soccer match and a function for another garda who was being transferred.

Foran was a garda when on 10 October 2009 he was sent to the woman's home in Phibsboro in Dublin.

The woman told gardaí that she had lost faith in financial institutions and was relieved that the €1,950 in cash she hid in pillowcases was not gone.

However, the court was told that the garda returned to the woman's home and stole the money while the 82-year-old was in Cork for a week.

He also admitted using his sergeant's credit card to pay a hotel bill and forging a letter on garda-headed paper.

The court heard however that because the credit card was not in his name the hotel required a letter of authorisation. Foran went to an internet café, took out a memory stick on which he had headed notepaper and forged a letter in the sergeant's name.

Foran's defence counsel told the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he had debts of over €500,000, including a €370,000 mortgage, €110,000 in debts from two Garda credit unions, €10,000 in bank loans and another €20,000-€25,000 due to house creditors.

He said one plumber rang him and threatened to "break his face" if he didn't pay him over €7,000.

The court heard that when a solicitor's letter arrived from the jeweller where he bought a wedding ring, his mother-in-law rang him and told him he had better pay that bill if he wanted to keep his wife.

Judge Yvonne Murphy pointed out that it was not a very successful crime and that gardaí were the last people to perpetrate it against.

She adjourned sentencing until January for probation and psychiatric reports .