The founder of a cat shelter in Cork, Ireland, has been given a two and a half year suspended sentence for stealing animal donations and squandering them on gambling. About it informs Irish Examiner.
The court found that Owen Collin, who opened the Cat Haven shelter, stole 27.5 thousand euros (2.4 million rubles) in donations intended for food and shelter for lost or homeless cats and kittens. The man was charged with 39 violations of the law, most of which he committed in 2019. Each charge was made on the fact of embezzlement from donations for the shelter of various amounts – from 10 euros (873 rubles) to 7.5 thousand euros (654.9 thousand rubles).
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Suspicions of misappropriation of funds first arose from a former shelter volunteer. It turned out that 19.6 thousand euros (1.7 million rubles) were transferred to Owen’s account, from which he spent money on gambling. During interrogation, the man admitted that he had stolen more than 27,000 euros (2.3 million rubles) in total. The court emphasized that before the shelter received official registration in 2018, donations were sent to the personal account of the gamer.
The man’s lawyer, surnamed Cahill, stressed that her client fully admitted his guilt. “He wants to apologize to those who donated to the fund,” the defender said. According to her, the Irishman’s childhood was not easy, and after the tragic death of his mother, father and sister, he went downhill. “He started playing poker and that led to him betting and visiting bookmakers all the time,” Cahill said. She added that the defendant genuinely loves cats and found solace in caring for lost animals and providing them with shelter.
Judge Helen Boyle sentenced the Irishman to two and a half years of suspended imprisonment, provided that the defendant would be observed by a psychotherapist all this time and treated for gambling. The man fully reimbursed the spent money, but the registration of the shelter was canceled.
“People acted in good faith and transferred money because they thought it would be spent on the well-being of cats and kittens, but you used these funds for gambling. Gambling is a bad habit. And dependence on online games can be easily hidden from other people, ”the judge said.
Earlier it was reported that a resident of the English county of Essex told how the day of winning a poker tournament was the worst in her life, because after that she went bankrupt, lost her home and all her property. Now she consults people who are faced with addiction.
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