A former chief executive of a suicide awareness charity will be sentenced next month for stealing more than €36,000 from the organisation.
Declan Behan (42) of Boyne View, Slane, Co Meath, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to six sample charges of theft from the Irish Association of Suicidology (IAS) on dates between November 2010 and September 2012.
The separated father of three children is now self-employed, providing a garden-maintenance service in his local area.
The court heard Behan, who had been on a salary of €70,000, used the charity’s visa card for about 300 unauthorised transactions totalling €36,540.
He used the card to withdraw cash from ATMs but also for electronic payments.
The IAS is a registered charity with an annual budget for €150,000 and was set up to promote suicide awareness through publications and organising conferences.
Funding suspended
The HSE is responsible for 60 per cent of its funding while the remainder is made up with donations from the public and fundraising.
The charity’s public funding was initially suspended pending the Garda investigation. It has since been re-instated but not to the same extent and the IAS, while fully functioning again, has not re-appointed a chief executive.
Behan took responsibility for the thefts and indicated he would reimburse the IAS. He has since done so by handing over €26,500 and a further €9,000 yesterday.
Det Sgt Barry Walsh told Karen O’Connor, prosecuting, that Behan used the cash to pay for everyday living expenses and to supplement his income. He said many of the transactions relate to buying petrol or groceries and confirmed there was “no element of extravagance”.
Behan texted IAS co-founder, consultant psychiatrist Dr John Connolly, on September 14th, 2012, telling him he had been living off the charity for the previous two years.
Behan wrote in the text that “everyone would be better off if I just disappeared”. He was in New York at the time, having used the charity’s card to book the flight and a one-night stay in a hotel.
Det Sgt Walsh said Dr Connolly became concerned for Behan and tried calling him but his mobile phone was switched off.
Behan’s partner convinced him to return to Ireland and she escorted him to the doctor’s Mayo home where he made a full confession.
Gardaí launched an investigation and searched Behan’s home the following month.
He later made a statement to gardaí saying he had initially started to use the card for emergencies but then started to pay for everyday living expenses with it.
Out of control
“He initially intended to pay it back but it spiralled out of control and it became impossible to reimburse the organisation,” Det Sgt Walsh told the court.
The court heard the IAS had indicated that they would not like to see Behan go to prison and accepted that he was unlikely to come before the courts again.
Judge Patricia Ryan adjourned the case to next month for sentence.
She remanded Behan on continuing bail and ordered a report from the Probation and Welfare Service for that date.