Mayo man (22) withdrew €6,800 from his grandmother's bank account without her knowledge

A Foxford man ‘betrayed the trust’ of his grandmother by withdrawing over €6,800 from her bank account without her knowledge.

Jordan Igoe, aged 22, of Callow, Foxford, pleaded guilty at Ballina District Court to 18 counts of theft from his grandmother Mary Igoe.

The defendant had withdrawn money from Ms. Igoe’s Bank of Ireland account without her permission on a total of 18 occasions ranging from January 13 until April 4, 2024.

The majority of incidents occurred at Main Street, Foxford, and involved various sums including €350, €400, €600, with the highest withdrawal of €700 occurring on three separate occasions.

Ms. Igoe contacted An Garda Síochána on April 7, 2024, to report that money had been withdrawn from her bank account on numerous occasions without her knowledge or consent.

She told gardaí she suspected it had been her grandson, Jordan Igoe, as he had been given some control of the account in January 2024. A total of €6,887.10 had been taken from the account.

Igoe was arrested in relation to the incidents. None of the money has been returned to date. The defendant has no previous convictions.

Solicitor Tom Walsh said his client had been raised in the care of his grandmother. She had given him access to her ATM card to buy groceries but he had "betrayed her trust."

He added that Igoe acted foolishly because it was eventually going to become apparent that money was missing from the account and this showed his "compulsion and naivety."

Mr. Walsh said his client had been addicted to cocaine at the time of the incidents but is now drug-free and has obtained gainful employment.

He is anxious to pay back his grandmother in advance of the case being finalised and had sought a loan from a financial institution for this purpose.

Judge Sandra Murphy said she was concerned about this case as it veered into the territory of elder abuse and that Igoe already had a period of two years in which to pay monies back.

She adjourned the case and requested that a victim impact statement be canvassed from Ms Igoe.

She also ordered the production of a probation report and asked for further details on how the monies will be paid back.

* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.