An ambulance paramedic who admitted recording a female colleague in the staff toilet has avoided a criminal conviction.
Robert Murphy (51) of Lissanalta Grove, Dooradoyle, Limerick, placed an iPhone recording in video mode in a box of gloves with holes in it on the windowsill of the unisex toilet at the ambulance base in Tyone, Co Tipperary, on May 5th last year.
A complaint was made to gardaí after Mr Murphy was confronted by a female colleague about the mobile phone recording.
After his arrest, he admitted to gardaí he owned the phone and had recorded female members of staff in the toilet for his “own pleasure”.
The father of three pleaded guilty at Nenagh District Court to a charge of harassment of a female colleague.
Yesterday at his sentencing hearing Judge Elizabeth MacGrath was told Mr Murphy, who had no previous convictions, has paid the injured party €5,000 in compensation and has complied with the Probation Service.
Judge MacGrath said the offence involved a breach of trust with his co-workers. However, she noted Mr Murphy’s previous good record and the serious work he did as a paramedic.
She said she felt he had gone as far as he could to make amends and that the Probation Act was appropriate.