theft from employer...

Sarah316

Hello,

i stole about 2'000 Euros worth of stock from a company i worked in,i was caught stealing about 100 hundred euros worth of stock and then confessed to the rest,i gave back what i still had in my possession,i had fallen into debt and planned to sell the stock to fund a volunteer trip to africa,

i had pre-booked this and then numerous debt collectors got in touch with me about debts i had previously incurred,sending me worrying and threatening letters saying they would call to my house,i didn't want to put my family through this and hid it from them..

I also didn't want to let the volunteer organization down after the help they had given me

i know what i did was fully wrong and I'm not trying to make excuses,i have since been to numerous therapy meetings were i have being diagnosed as bi-polar,i felt like i had no one to turn to borrow the money or talk about my situation,again,i know this isn't an excuse for what i done,and I'm not trying to look for sympathy,just trying to give whoever is kind enough to answer this a deeper perspective....

after 2 months had passed and i was starting to get back on track a female police officer called to my house when i wasn't at home regarding this matter,she left a phone number for me to ring which i have countless times with no answer....

im not a bad human being,i usually report crime not commit it,if i ever see crime being committed i do report it...

I'm young and i made some unwise choices and bad turns,i fully understand what i did was wrong and have made open and sincere apologies to my employer..

I'm just wondering if anyone could tell me what kind of punishment/sentence I'm looking at here?

also,i have applied to volunteer at my local community centre to help out with events/news in my area,I'm pretty sure any conviction will stop me from doing this,if someone could enlighten me on this too it would be greatly appreciated...

im a 21 year old female from dublin,this is my first offence,i go to college,so I'm hoping i won't get a custodial sentence that could effect me going to college and partaking in exams....

again...

any help would be appreciated....

thank you..

Paulw

You really need a very good solicitor.

With something like this, you could be looking at time behind bars, never mind having to repay the value of what you have taken.

This is a very very serious situation, so you should find yourself a good solicitor.

Sarah316

i've looked up numerous recent cases in the same mould as mine,

100% of them ended up in suspended sentences,community service,compensation etc,all of them with a lot higher value than mine,obviously different factors can effect different cases.

i will own up fully to what i have done at the earliest opportunity,i wanted to hand myself into police but was informed by my union official that it wouldn't have been the wisest choice.

my body is in a state of shock if i'm being openly honest,i can't eat properly,and I'm getting little to no sleep at night,I'm struggling to sleep due to worry,then when i finally get asleep i wake up after a couple of hours and can't get back to sleep again due to worry.

again,i know its 100% my fault,i did the crime,i'll do the time,judging by the other cases similar to mine,for a first offense it rarely if ever ends in a custodial sentence.

I'm from a working class family and was brought up in the inner city,in all other aspects of my life i am very proud of myself for turning out the way i have.

i don't drink,smoke,do drugs,I'm a vegetarian,i give to charity if i can,i report crimes i see.

i posted on here in hope of some advice from people who would know more about the legal side than me,and people who may have gone through a similar situation.

and if I'm being perfectly honest i hoped for some comfort,I'm not looking for people to look at me and feel sorry for me and tell me everything will be ok,i was hoping people would be open-minded and honest enough to see that good people can make mistakes and bad choices.

im not from a cosy family were everything is perfect,we hardly ever talk,we keep everything inside,don't express emotion,growing up my father regularly threatened me with physical violence if we ever argued,my mother to weak to stand up to him or defend me.

i took my leaving cert when i was just 16 and too immature to do so,after getting below average results i couldn't get into any decent college,i have taken some PLC courses,last year i decided to go to a private college that was quite a high cost,that i won't name,in hope of getting some good qualifications,the college was the worst run college i have ever seen,and after seeing some posts on boards,other people obviously agree,the costs of this college was one of the debts i was talking about in my original post.

again,it was my choice and i'm fully responsible for the choices i make,i made some wrong ones,and i'll 100% learn from them

amdublin

From a legal perspective talk to a solicitor.

From a personal perspective I've reported your post and suggested this is moved to the Pesonal Issues forum - i think you'll get some help over there...

MagicSean

Two people you need to talk to. A solicitor and the Garda. If this is your first offence you may get an adult caution or, if it goes to court, probation.

Sarah316

thanks for the help,appreciated..

it is my first offence..

and i can't really afford a solicitor right now,i was thinking if it went to court i may be granted legal aid,or maybe i should apply to FLAC for a consultation...

coylemj

If you are charged with offences where there is a reasonable prospect of jail time you will get free legal aid.

Sarah316

thanks for the advice!

got through to the police station,but the person investigating is off for the next few days so i guess i'll have to sit tight and wait!

Milk & Honey

One of the biggest factors in sentencing in a theft case is whether the injured party has been recompensed or whether there is a reasonable prospect of that happening. There are a number of specialist criminal law firms in Dublin. It would be a good idea to approach one of them. It is most unlikely that they will charge for their services if they think there is a prospect of legal aid down the line. The time to get legal advice is before you talk to the Garda.