Drug debts and intimidation drive grandson to desperate measures

By Kate Northrop

An Ireland man escaped jail time after he was caught stealing a portion of his grandmother's partner's lottery winnings to repay drug debt.

An Irish man's deceptive plan was cut short when he was caught siphoning the lottery winnings out of his grandmother's partner's bank account, and he narrowly avoided jail time.

Luke McGann, 20, of St. Catherine's Green, Rush, pleaded guilty to 24 charges of theft, which occurred between June and July 2023.

In April 2023, McGann's grandmother's partner won €87,000 (US$90,946) in the lottery. He had to set up a bank account for the first time in his life in order to receive the winnings.

McGann offered to help his grandmother's partner set up a bank account, after which McGann linked the man's bank details to his own Apple Pay account. Over the course of three weeks and across 24 separate transactions, McGann stole €14,886 (US$15,561) from his grandmother's partner.

In July 2023, the victim noticed that there were funds missing from the account, called the bank, and discovered multiple unauthorized transactions. As McGann was the only other person with access to the account, he immediately became the prime suspect.

McGann voluntarily went to police the following October and admitted to the wrongdoing, explaining that the motivation for the theft initially stemmed from outside demands but eventually got out of hand.

Investigators informed prosecutor Derek Cooney that McGann was being financially pressured and intimidated because of drug debts he owed. At first, he used the stolen funds to pay off the debts but afterwards bought various items, including a scrambler bike.

The bank forgave McGann, who had no prior convictions, and fully reimbursed the victim. McGann's mother and grandmother attended court proceedings in support of him.

While McGann's actions demonstrated a violation of trust, Judge Orla Crowe established that the perpetrator had immediately admitted to the crimes, cooperated with investigators, and expressed regret. She labeled the case as a "huge lapse of judgement by a very young man who has since shown insight and remorse."

Prior to court proceedings, and based on the nature of the crime alone, Judge Crowe had originally set a headline sentence of 18 months in prison. However, she reduced it to 12 months after hearing the case, and then finally imposed a 12-month suspended sentence under strict conditions, noting that he "deserves a chance to contribute to society."

The court heard from McGann's defense that he was a "young man with a bright future" who had stopped stealing the lottery winnings "of his own accord" before the victim had even noticed the missing funds. He currently hopes to join the army and was considering employment by a local farmer.

Thanks to dannyct for the tip.