The trial of a former school principal, charged with theft and false accounting in relation to the school canteen, heard evidence today that the canteen had been taking in up to €1,000 a week.
Frank Chambers of Carnacregg, Moylough, Co Galway has pleaded not guilty to a total of 34 charges on dates between 2011 and 2017 when he was principal at Roscommon Community College.
Patricia Byrne told the court that following the retirement of a teacher in December 2009, another teacher ran the canteen for two to three months and then she took over running it.
Every day after breaktime and lunch, she would cash up and put the money in a locked drawer and, on Friday, she would bring the money to the principal.
As the years went on and numbers in the school were getting bigger, she said she was dealing with a lot more money and got a hardback deep green copybook, in which she entered the dates and amount of money and then she and Mr Chambers would sign it.
She said she was nervous about the money because she was handing over a lot and wanted to keep a record of it.
For a period of about three months in 2017, Ms Byrne was on sick leave, due to surgery and just before she went out sick, she said the school principal asked her for the book, which she gave to him.
About this time, she said the canteen would be taking in anything between €800 to €1,000 a week.
Ms Byrne said that just before she came back to work, she got a call to say the canteen had closed down and she thought it was to do with coming to the end of the school year.
When she got back, she said everything was empty and she asked the principal, who said the canteen was closed and "we are going to a different plan for next year".
Ms Byrne said she asked him for the book and he said she did not need it and told her that he had burned it.
Later on, in the summer, she said she was told a company was coming in to look after catering and she helped out. She added there was no money being transacted and that the food was handed out to the pupils.
Around September, she said she became aware of an investigation by Galway Roscommon ETB regarding the canteen.
She said that Mr Chambers spoke to her a number of times and would say "you tell the investigation you were taking in €50 or €100" and, she added that he told her that "when this is all over, I will look after you".
Then, she alleges that he said "the investigation knows about the book".
Ms Byrne said she told him that she had told the investigation about the book. Ms Byrne then claims that he said "you have landed me in it" and told her to get out of his office.
Eileen O'Leary, barrister for Mr Chambers, put it to Ms Byrne that Mr Chambers had given her €1,000.
"He never gave me a cent," she replied.
Ms O'Leary suggested that her client had given her money, but Ms Byrne replied "never".
Ms O'Leary said her client strenuously denies that the conversation suggesting the record book had been burned took place and that the book had gone missing at a time when renovations were being carried out at the school.
Ms Byrne insisted the conversation had taken place and that Mr Chambers had told her he had burned the book. She said she had got on very well with him up to the investigation and then she saw a completely different side of him.
A number of documents relating to the school meals' programme were shown to witness, Anne Marie Bance, who was secretary at the school.
In the section asking if there was income from any other source, Ms Bance said that she was told by Mr Chambers what to fill in, in some cases the word no was inserted and in others the space was left blank.
In the latter case she said she would have left the form on Mr Chambers desk for him to check and sign.
Ms Bance said she would on occasion count the bags of money Ms Byrne had filled after morning break. She recalled seeing the record book and once saw it open with six to eight entries in which the figures varied - they might be €850, €940, €890 - up to €1,000, she said.
The trial continues tomorrow.
