An assistant working at a Health Service Executive-run care facility in Co Meath stole money from the accounts of vulnerable residents to pay his Sky and Netflix subscriptions and buy clothes and shoes, Trim Circuit Court heard today.
Edwin Gall, 51, of Grangerath, Drogheda, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to stealing a total of €22,144 from nine residents of Barden Lodge, Julianstown, Co Meath on dates between March 2016 and February 2017.
The court heard the facility caters for up to 13 adult residents with intellectual disabilities providing round the clock care to enable the residents live as full a life as possible.
All the residents have their own bank accounts which are managed by staff on their behalf with their ATM cards kept in a central safe, a garda told the court.
Purchases or cash withdrawals on behalf of the residents are made by staff members who are required to enter the amounts on separate expenses sheets for each resident.
Gall had been able to steal money from the resident's accounts by making withdrawals and entering a lesser amount on the expenses sheets.
In June 2016, a clinical nurse manager noticed that €500 had been withdrawn from the account of one resident and after the size of the withdrawal was spoken about in the house a €500 lodgement was made to the account.
Gall later told the manager there had been a technical issue in the bank.
When a further discrepancy was noticed in the same account eight months later the manager noticed payments had also been made to Sky and Netflix.
After a detailed audit of all the residents' accounts was conducted, Gall admitted to a manager that he had been taking money from the accounts for about a year but did not know why he had done so.
A garda investigation identified the amounts taken by cross referencing the withdrawals on the accounts with CCTV from the ATMs used.
The court heard the HSE had refunded the residents for their losses.
Victim impact statements from some of the families of the residents highlighted the affect of the breach of trust on them and several also accused the HSE of not taking better care of their relative’s finances.
A defence barrister said her client accepted he had been guilty of serious breaches of trust and was remorseful but had no explanation for his actions.
The lawyer added that Gall was now unemployed and on a disability payment but had borrowed €23,000 in compensation which he repaying.
Judge Martina Baxter demanded Gall in custody for sentence on 17 November.
