Declan Behan stopped off at an ATM here and an ATM there and removed 7000 euro over the course of a couple of years.
The problem he's run into is that the account from which the ATMs obtained the money belonged to an Irish charity that he was running at the time. The Irish Association of Suicidology does not fund therapeutic shopping, apparently. Or Mr. Behan was not particularly suicidal when he padded his salary.
No reason has been given for the theft. That will come out in court later in the year, when Mr. Behan will have an opportunity to explain why he needed more money than he was being paid to run a charity that needs as much of its donations as possible to help those in need.
With the economy in the tank, there's more need than ever. Bankruptcy and mortgage arrears have put many into a tailspin of deep depression.
Noted author Tana French used that very theme as the backdrop of her novel Broken Harbour.
Like the characters she depicted, was Mr. Behan hoping to avoid losing his status, his home, or his family?
Or was he simply greedy and saw an opportunity to help himself to something that wasn't being carefully minded?
He's not working at the moment, and won't have a chance at a position of trust, even if there were jobs available. No work means no income, which means he can't repay the money as part of a deal to avoid punishment.
Desperate times calling for desperate measures?
Perhaps not as desperate as the scenario depicted by Ms. French, but who else but a desperate man would think to steal from the organization that employed him? Possibly one who felt so glum that he needed a little therapeutic shopping to lift his spirits and avoid making use of the anti-suicide services.
Wouldn't it have cost more than the 7000 he took, to cover more extensive therapy? It was cost-effective treatment, wasn't it?
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