Garda found guilty of stealing €700 at station

A 27-year-old garda was found guilty by a jury last evening of stealing €700 which had been handed in to him while he was on duty in the public office at Sligo Garda station.

It took the jury two hours and 44 minutes to return with their unanimous verdict.

Garda James Lavelle, with an address at Old Quay Court, Sligo, had denied stealing €700, the property of Sally Harte, at Sligo Garda station on August 26th, 2004.

Judge Antony Kennedy remanded him on bail to appear at the same court in January for sentencing.

During the three-day trial Garda Lavelle said he had been guilty of nothing but sloppiness and not following proper procedures.

He insisted that only €400 had been handed in and said he had returned it to Mrs Harte within days.

Local man Liam Henderson had told the court that he found a bundle of 14 €50 notes while walking his dog at Sligo cemetery.

He said he had brought it home and counted out the €700 in front of his parents and that he also counted it out in seven rows for Garda Lavelle at Sligo Garda station.

Mrs Harte, of River Road, Cartron Point, Sligo, told the jury her daughter had put an umbrella in the boot of the car not realising that there was money hidden in it, and she had used it on the evening of August 26th, 2004, when she went to visit a friend's grave.

During the trial it emerged that Garda Lavelle had not recorded the money which was handed in on the Pulse computer system or in the station receipt book. He said he had tried but failed to log on to the Pulse system and said he could not get the receipt book as it was in the sergeant's office which was locked that night.