THE FAMILY of a retired elderly priest has claimed a woman who befriended him last year had wrongfully and fraudulently misappropriated more than €130,000 of his money.
Fr Vincent Kelly’s relatives have brought a High Court action against Mary McLoughlin alleging that the 86-year-old priest had suffered great financial loss and damage due to her “deception, fraud, deceit and theft”. Ms McLoughlin had “preyed upon” Fr Kelly, they allege.
Mr Justice Roderick Murphy agreed to make a number of orders on an ex parte (one side only represented) basis, including an order prohibiting Ms McLoughlin, Corraugan, Kilmeena, Westport, Co Mayo, from reducing her assets below €51,713.06.
Freezing orders were also obtained ex parte against Ms McLoughlin’s nephew, Thomas McLoughlin, restraining him from dissipating his assets below €39,000 and against her niece, Tara McLoughlin, restraining reduction of her assets below €25,000.
The action is by Fr Kelly’s sister – Ann Geary, of Pontoon, Foxford, Co Mayo – who has power of attorney over his affairs. The orders have been returned to later this month.
The court was told that Fr Kelly, a former parish priest in Palmerstown, Dublin, had retired to his native Co Mayo in 2001. He was active in his community and carried out relief work but, in recent times, his memory began to fade, it was claimed.
In an affidavit, Mrs Geary said she first became aware of Ms McLoughlin’s existence in late 2011 when her brother told her that a friend, who was also a distant relative, was going to move into his house in Westport to keep him company and act as his housekeeper and secretary.
Fr Kelly did not tell Mrs Geary who this person was but said he had given this person money because the person was at risk of losing their house to the bank.
Mrs Geary said she became suspicious about this “virtual stranger”. After making inquiries, she said she was informed the person was Mary McLoughlin, a single woman in her 50s or 60s who worked as a senior social welfare officer based in Westport.
Fr Kelly’s family were unhappy about this situation, Mrs Geary said. Over the last number of months, Fr Kelly’s health deteriorated, he had to be hospitalised and, since leaving hospital, had lived with his sister.
A number of matters had come to light that shocked and upset the family, Mrs Geary said. These included concerns that Ms McLoughlin had been given joint control over bank accounts Fr Kelly had at AIB. Mrs Geary said she had asked Fr Kelly about this and he had no recollection of giving such powers to Ms McLoughlin.
Mrs Geary said Fr Kelly told the family he had accounts only with An Post and AIB but they discovered an account with Ulster Bank in his name.
When the family spoke to Ulster Bank, they discovered that, between April and June of this year, €123,000 of Fr Kelly’s money was lodged and removed or transferred by Ms McLoughlin.