A FORMER FINE Gael councillor and cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council has been jailed in relation to theft of money from a mental health housing charity.

Seán McKiernan, with an address at Virginia Road, Bailieborough, Cavan has been jailed for three years and nine months with that final 12 months suspended.

A sentencing hearing at Trim Circuit Court heard how the money was spent on paying men for sex and for them to procure drugs for McKiernan, including crystal meth, liquid ecstasy and cocaine.

The 44-year-old pleaded guilty to nine sample charges, having already admitted two. He had been charged with 58 counts of theft at various unknown locations within the State.

The total amount involved in the theft from the charity, the Navan Mental Health Housing Association, was just over €172,000. The amounts ranged in total from €500 to €6,000.

Since 2013, McKiernan was the secretary and treasurer of the organisation and he was responsible for the finances of the charitable organisation.

The court heard how McKiernan wrote 58 cheques in 2019 and 2020 for 33 individuals – mainly South American men.

The court was told that after extensive investigations, it was found that most of these individuals were male escorts and McKiernan was paying for services from the recipients of the cheques.

Sentencing 

Lead investigating Garda, Detective Garda Sean Patterson said while giving evidence today the funds were used for drugs and sex. 

Defence counsel Gareth Baker said the offending was over a 13 month period from March 2019 to April 2020.

Baker said McKiernan’s early guilty plea resulted in the case not going to trial which would have saved the very lengthy investigation into the case being detailed during a trial.

He outlined McKiernan’s political career and how drug use began for him in 2016. He said that depression had taken hold and that losing his council seat in 2014 was a major knock to McKiernan.

He said the other mitigating factors were his acknowledgment of wrongdoing, a number of personal factors like no previous convictions along and never coming to the attention of the gardaí before.

He told the court that McKiernan had no way of making any sort of payment as he was not working and had no financial assets.

His barrister added that upon turning fifty McKiernan would have access to pension funds including over €40,000 of a pension from Mental Health Ireland, where he worked for over a decade. 

A psychology report was carried out and found McKiernan had social anxiety issues, was at the low end of the risk of reoffending and that he was deeply ashamed of his actions.

Judge Jonathan Dunphy said it was a very detailed forensic investigation by gardaí.

In delivering his sentence he highlighted how no money had been forthcoming and no money was in court today.

Victim impact 

A victim impact statement was read out on behalf of Michael Finnegan who was one of the trustees of the charity. 

He said Navan Mental Health Housing Association had been set up to allow six to seven people to reside at the property that they had in Navan.

He said that due to the huge financial loss, the charity no longer exists. He said an employee lost a job and the social club that vulnerable and older people would have attended had to close also.

McKiernan was a councillor for the Bailieborough electoral area from 2007 to 2014. He made history back in 2011 when at age 29 he was elected as the youngest ever Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council.

McKiernan was also a member of Cavan Monaghan Education Training Board and he also served a term as its cathaoirleach. He was a member of the national executive of Fine Gael for over a decade.

Free legal aid was previously granted to the former councillor in the form of a solicitor and two barristers.

McKiernan, who was dressed in a navy jacket, beige trousers and red scarf, now begins his sentence of two years and nine months.