Ex-county council chairman pleads guilty to theft of over €170,000 from charity
Sean McKiernan, 43, from Trinity Bungalow, Virginia Road, Bailieborough, was charged with 58 counts of theft at various unknown locations within the State from Navan Mental Health Housing Association six years ago, in 2019.
The sums varied between €500 and €7,500 and the total amount involved in the theft was €172,000, which was revealed at a previous court date.
Carey was due to stand trial in the case before a judge and jury.
However, on Thursday he appeared before Judge John Martin at Trim Circuit Court, where his counsel said 'progress can be made' in the case.
McKiernan was then arraigned on two sample counts, 1 and 58, on the charge sheets.
He pleaded guilty to theft under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Theft and Fraud Act that, on March 26, 2019 at a location unknown in the State, did steal €5,230 from Navan Mental Health Housing Association.
He further pleaded guilty to theft under the same act that, on April 6, 2020 at a location unknown in the State, he did steal €800 from Navan Mental Health Housing Association.
Counsel for McKiernan said a sentencing hearing date is required and said it 'should take 40 minutes'.
Judge Martin remanded McKiernan on continuing bail to appear before the court again on October 29 'for a date for sentencing to be fixed'.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Dressed in a navy blazer and cream trousers, McKiernan only addressed the court to confirm his name and to enter his guilty pleas.
McKiernan made history in 2011 when he was elected the youngest ever chairman, or Cathaoirleach, of Cavan County Council.
He was a Fine Gael councillor for the Bailieborough electoral area from 2007 to 2014.
He was also a member of Cavan/Monaghan Education Training Board (ETB) and served a term as its Cathaoirleach in 2016.
He was actively involved in hosting the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Cavan Town in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and in developing the West Cavan Burren Geopark as well as the Taste of Cavan Festival.
McKiernan previously worked with the former Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation Damien English and was nominated to the Seanad Election 2016 by the Restaurants Association of Ireland.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Former Cavan County Council cathaoirleach admits theft from mental health charity
A former cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council has pleaded guilty to charges of theft from a charity. Seán McKiernan (43), with an address at Trinity Bungalow, Virginia Road, Bailieborough, Co Cavan, had been charged with the theft of €172,000 from Navan Mental Health Housing Association Ltd in 2019 and 2020. When arraigned on Thursday at Trim Circuit Court, he entered pleas of guilty to two charges: the theft of €5,270 from the charity on September 26th, 2019, and theft of €800 from the same organisation on April 6th, 2020. Accepting the pleas, Judge John Martin adjourned the case to October 21st and remanded McKiernan on continuing bail. READ MORE McKiernan was represented in court by barristers Garret Baker and David Perry.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Urgent action' needed to prevent kids ‘being exposed to harmful content' ahead of video sharing site age checks laws
"URGENT action" to prevent children "being exposed to pornography, violence and other harmful content" is needed ahead of new laws coming into effect, a TD has said. 2 Fine Gael TD Keira Keogh has urged for stricter enforcement of age verification on video sharing websites Credit: Fine Gael The legislation, which is set to come into effect on July 21, will require platforms to verify user ages when accessing adult content. Speaking on the issue, Deputy Keogh said: "As a newly elected TD and as Chair of the Children & Equality Committee, pushing for initiatives that protect children's mental health from harmful online content is a top priority. "Access to pornography nowadays is a free for all and is completely unregulated." She added: "If a parent discovered that their teenager had been exposed to pornography while watching television at a friend's house, it's likely they would be permanently banned from visiting, and the friend's parent could be reported to Tusla. READ MORE ON IRISH NEWS "Yet we give teenagers smartphones with open access to the internet, where they regularly encounter misogynist and toxic content online, especially on well-known pornographic websites." Online Safety commissioner Niamh Hodnett has said that video-sharing platforms will be supervised by Coimisiun na Mean to ensure verifications are in place by July. For explicit websites based outside of Ireland, the commission will work with the European Commission and regulators across the EU. It follows calls by Tanaiste Most read in Irish News Harris warned that such use represented a "ticking time bomb" and that while the current age of digital consent in Ireland is 16, there are a lot of "workarounds" to it. Deputy Keogh has said: "It is welcome that the commission is working with European and UK counterparts to align age verification standards, as we can learn from other countries in models that they have adopted, what has been successful and what we could do differently. 'I support recent comments by Tánaiste Simon Harris, who said users here should be at least 16 before they can have a social media account, in line with Ireland's Digital Age of Consent. 'URGENT ACTION NEEDED' 'I truly believe urgent action needs to be taken across the board to prevent children being exposed to pornography, violence and other harmful content online.'. Keogh added that she looks forward to engaging with the commission and social media platforms through the Oireachtas Children's Committee. However, she noted: "The Online Safety Commissioner must ensure these new measures are robustly enforced and that non-compliant websites are named and subject to the appropriate sanctions." 2 The new legislation will require platforms to verify user ages when accessing explicit content Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ex-county council chairman pleads guilty to theft of over €170,000 from charity
A former history-making Fine Gael chairman of Cavan County Council has pleaded guilty to the theft of money from a mental health charity. Sean McKiernan, 43, from Trinity Bungalow, Virginia Road, Bailieborough, was charged with 58 counts of theft at various unknown locations within the State from Navan Mental Health Housing Association six years ago, in 2019. The sums varied between €500 and €7,500 and the total amount involved in the theft was €172,000, which was revealed at a previous court date. Carey was due to stand trial in the case before a judge and jury. However, on Thursday he appeared before Judge John Martin at Trim Circuit Court, where his counsel said 'progress can be made' in the case. McKiernan was then arraigned on two sample counts, 1 and 58, on the charge sheets. He pleaded guilty to theft under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Theft and Fraud Act that, on March 26, 2019 at a location unknown in the State, did steal €5,230 from Navan Mental Health Housing Association. He further pleaded guilty to theft under the same act that, on April 6, 2020 at a location unknown in the State, he did steal €800 from Navan Mental Health Housing Association. Counsel for McKiernan said a sentencing hearing date is required and said it 'should take 40 minutes'. Judge Martin remanded McKiernan on continuing bail to appear before the court again on October 29 'for a date for sentencing to be fixed'. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Dressed in a navy blazer and cream trousers, McKiernan only addressed the court to confirm his name and to enter his guilty pleas. McKiernan made history in 2011 when he was elected the youngest ever chairman, or Cathaoirleach, of Cavan County Council. He was a Fine Gael councillor for the Bailieborough electoral area from 2007 to 2014. He was also a member of Cavan/Monaghan Education Training Board (ETB) and served a term as its Cathaoirleach in 2016. He was actively involved in hosting the All Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Cavan Town in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and in developing the West Cavan Burren Geopark as well as the Taste of Cavan Festival. McKiernan previously worked with the former Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation Damien English and was nominated to the Seanad Election 2016 by the Restaurants Association of Ireland.
