Mother-of-three who burgled school gets suspended sentence

A mother-of-three who burgled a school which saw its insurance rise by €10,000 has received a fully suspended sentence.

After her arrest, Tara Fay (46) told gardaí­ that she was stealing to pay for drugs. She admitted trespassing and taking jumpers and tracksuits from the school.

Fay of Premier Square, Finglas, Dublin pleaded guilty to burglary of the school on Wellmount Road, Finglas on October 4th, 2016. Her 83 previous convictions include 39 for theft offences and 29 for road traffic offences.

Passing sentence on Tuesday, Judge Patricia Ryan said the offence was aggravated by its consequences, even though a small amount of money was stolen. She said the mitigating factors were Fay’s guilty plea, her co-operation and her efforts to rehabilitate.

Judge Ryan sentenced Fay to two years imprisonment. She said that as a result of her personal circumstances and the current “unusual situation” she would suspend the entirety of the sentence provided that Fay keep the peace and be of good behaviour for a period of three years.

At a previous sentencing hearing, Garda Paul Priestley told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that €250 in cash and a mobile phone was taken and that CCTV showed Fay entering and leaving the building.

In a victim impact statement on behalf of St Michael’s secondary school in Finglas, principal John Barry said that these may have been small thefts but they had serious effects for the school.

Mr Barry said that the school’s insurance costs had risen by €10,000 in a two year period and that insurers said this was a result of “claims made by schools due to theft and damage”.

He said this was a lot of money for a school and that he would prefer to use this money to pay for teaching supplies.

Dean Kelly BL, defending, said his client is a mother-of-three who had been in an abusive relationship which involved violence and drug abuse.

He said this partner was a man whom gardaí had a serious interest in and that he was later murdered.