A care worker has appeared in court on charges of stealing around €5,000 from three men with special needs who lived at the residential care centre where she worked in Wicklow.
Jill Bergin (39) a separated mother of two of Castle Manor, Ferns, Co Wexford, pleaded guilty to three sample counts of theft from three residents at Ros Mhuire centre in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow on dates between June 2019 and March 2020.
Detective Garda Neil Doyle told a sitting of Wicklow Circuit Criminal Court last week that the three victims in the case were all vulnerable males with intellectual disabilities including two with down syndrome.
Det Garda Doyle said Bergin had stolen the money by using the men’s debit cards to withdraw money from ATMs as well as failing to deposit money to their accounts.
The court heard she stole €1,380 from one victim, €1,240 from another and €2,370 from a 65-year-old resident of the centre which is operated by Sunbeam House Services.
Det Garda Doyle said it appeared that Bergin would withdraw money as requested by the men but then immediately withdraw the same amount again a short time later.
He said gardaí became aware of the crime after the manager of Ros Mhuire had checked on bank statements of its residents when a sum of money had gone missing.
Bergin was arrested in May 2021 but would not accept responsibility for the money that had been withdrawn or the lodgements that had not been made.
“There was no acceptance of any wrongdoing,” said Det Garda Doyle.
He said a total of 31 incidents of Bergin either making withdrawals or not making deposits had been identified.
In a victim impact statement made on behalf of one of the men, his family said they were disgusted that a vulnerable person would be treated in such a way by someone they trusted.
They described Bergin’s conduct as “vile behaviour” and it was shameful that her actions had marred the great work of other people in Ros Mhuire where their relative had flourished.
They also expressed hope that the accused would never be allowed to work with vulnerable people in the future.
The family of another victim said they still felt guilt at having placed their relative in a residential care centre as their trust had been completely shattered and they were worried that he would be exploited.
The court heard that Bergin, who had been employed as a community service support worker in Ros Mhuire since December 2018, has no previous convictions.
The manager of the centre also provided a statement in which he expressed dismay at how the trust placed by the charity in Bergin had been broken and had left vulnerable residents nervous about their finances.
Cross-examined by counsel for Bergin, Eoin Gallagher BL, Det Garda Doyle said Bergin had not provided any explanation for her crimes.
Mr Gallagher, who acknowledged his client’s offences were “horrendous,” said she had problems with both alcohol and gambling.
He said Bergin had lost her job at Ros Mhuire as a result of what happened and had been unemployed since.
When asked by Judge Patrick Quinn if the accused might have €5,000 available to repay her victims, Mr Gallagher said it was unlikely as she is in receipt of a social welfare of €320 per week and was only able to save around €30 weekly.
Pleading for leniency, he said Bergin’s whole life had been built around caring for people since the age of 16.
“She was a good, kind, caring person before letting standards slip,” said Mr Gallagher.
He also noted that she had stopped gambling since 2022.
Judge Quinn adjourned sentencing until a date in October and remanded Bergin on continuing bail.
He also ordered an updated probation report after being informed she posed a moderate risk of reoffending.
The judge remarked that it would “break one’s heart” to read the victim impact statements in the case as well as the sense of guilt felt by both Bergin’s employer and the families of her victims.
He also observed that a probation report on Bergin had made for “harrowing reading.”
