A former primary school principal in county Longford has pleaded guilty to a charge of dishonestly obtaining funding from the Department of Education on dates between September 2012 and June 2013.
Helen O'Gorman, with an address at Newtown Lawns, Mullingar, had previously served as the principal of St Mary's National School in Edgeworthstown.
At a sitting of Longford District Court on 20 April, the court heard that the defendant had fraudulently deceived the Department of Education of €450,000.
Appearing before Judge Keenan Johnson today, Ms O'Gorman, pleaded guilty to a charge of loss by deception by allegedly overestimating the number of pupils attending the school.
It is alleged the former principal attested to the department 66 pupils which did not exist.
A psychiatric and medical report on the defendant was ordered by Judge Johnson, and he remanded her on bail to a sitting of Longford Circuit Court on 2 October for sentencing.
