‘OUT OF CONTROL’ | 

Mum devastated at being sentenced to two years’ jail for stealing €66k for gambling

“I’m trying to get my sh*t together before I go to jail. My mental health is really bad. I’m only five weeks after having a baby as well.”

Today at 19:29

A single mother-of-three has told of her devastation of being sentenced to two years behind bars for stealing €66k from a créche to feed her gambling addiction.

Emma Louise McLoughlin (30), from Crozon Park in Sligo, told the Sunday World that her gambling “got out of control” which led to her stealing the money.

Ms McLoughlin, who has been given until July to get her affairs in order before she starts the sentence, also said she gave birth to her youngest son just five weeks ago and is terrified of the prospect of going to prison.

“I’m trying to get my sh*t together before I go to jail. My mental health is really bad. I’m only five weeks after having a baby as well. He was only two weeks old when I was in for it,” she said.

McLoughlin was sentenced to three years in prison with one year suspended at Sligo Circuit Court earlier this month for stealing €66,595 from a community playschool where she worked over a six-month period.

The case had been adjourned from previous sittings to allow McLoughlin pay compensation. However, she hadn’t kept to the schedule and Judge Keenan Johnson said his patience was at an end with her.

The court heard McLoughlin had also traded in her car and had used some of the proceeds of the sale for gambling.

Emma-Louise McLoughlin speaking to our reporter Alan Sherry

Judge Johnson said he was sick to the teeth of getting lame excuses from the defendant.

“I am really sick of the excuses. Every opportunity has been given to her but she throws it back in the court’s face,” he said.

He pointed out that the defendant’s latest offer at paying compensation, €40 a week, would take over 30 years to pay back.

“The money is gone but she can still afford to buy drink and take cocaine. Nothing adds up with this lady,” he said.

However, Ms McLoughlin told the Sunday World that she hadn’t taken any drugs over the past year.

“What the papers wrote and what the judge was saying in court [about taking drugs], it was stuff sorted out in the previous sentence [hearing].

“They were saying about the drugs and drinking. I was pregnant, I’ve been off it for over a year. He said I was still doing it every night.”

She said she felt the two-year sentence was overly harsh.

“There was a girl up before me who knocked someone down, off her head on drugs, and left her paralysed and she got a suspended sentence.”