A woman who stole just over €4,000 worth of National Lottery scratch cards from her employer because they gave “comfort” to her husband, who was suffering with dementia, has been given a suspended sentence.
Sandra McCann (57) of Newbury Drive, Clonshaugh, Dublin 17, came forward on signed pleas of guilty from the District Court to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. She pleaded guilty to theft on January 27th, 2024. She has no previous convictions.
The court heard that in February 2024, the HR administrator of Daybreak Store noticed that a safe room in the shop, where various items including cigarettes and scratch cards were kept, had been left unlocked.
The CCTV footage was checked, and McCann was spotted coming in and out of the room. It arose management’s suspicions as she did not have permission to be in the room.
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Barrister Oisin Clarke, prosecuting, said that the management spoke to McCann about it and showed her the footage.
That same month, the National Lottery contacted the store because they had concerns in relation to a large number of scratch cards being sold in the shop.
Further investigations found that there was a mismatch between the activations of those cards and the sale of them, in that the cards were activated, but there was “no corresponding sale”.
Mr Clarke said the value of the cards, had they been properly sold, was €4,330.
Judge Martin Nolan inquired what McCann would do with the stolen cards, asking if she sold them on, but the investigating garda replied “she scratched them”.
Barrister Garrett Casey, defending, said that at the time of the thefts, McCann’s husband was suffering from dementia. He has since died.
He said his client’s husband was particularly difficult at that time, and she gave him the cards because he enjoyed getting them.
Judge Nolan accepted that McCann seemed to have given the cards to her husband to offer him some comfort.
He said he did not think she deserved a custodial sentence before he imposed a one-year term, which he suspended in full on condition that she pay €1,000 to her former employer.
