A Thomastown man who worked changing locks on safes couldn’t resist temptation and made off with cash and jewellery worth thousands of euro, Kilkenny District Court heard this week.
Jeremiah Gibbons, a man in his fifties, was before Judge Olive Buttimer on two counts of theft. The court heard that on an unknown date between February 15 and March 31, 2008, Gibbons, employed by Dominator, a company charged with opening safes to install new locks, used his unique position to steal the contents of a safe belonging to Mario Morocco in Jerpoint West.
The Thomastown man had opened the safe with a colleague and between them they took the contents, amounting to €30,000 cash, and gold and diamond jewellery worth €15,000. Mr Morocco, who kept a personal safe in Jerpoint West, was away on holiday when his staff were alerted to the loss. He himself had forgotten about the contents, the judge heard. Gibbons admitted stealing €10,000 but not the jewellery and not the rest of the cash. Gibbons’ colleague had received 170 hours community service.
Gibbons’ defence counsel David Bulbuliah told Judge Buttimer that his client, a man of limited means, was ashamed by his actions and had used the money to have cosmetic treatment on his teeth and eyes.
“Mr Gibbons has returned all of the €10,000 he admits taking. It was almost like discovering treasure, unfortunately temptation proved too much,” he told Judge Buttimer.
A retired man now, Gibbons used the proceeds of his pension fund to repay Mr Morocco and looked on the whole incident as shameful, he added.
Judge Buttimer said she usually dealt with cases involving co-accused together, but since that was not possible, she would adjourn sentencing on Mr Gibbons until the November sittings to query his suitability for community service.
