A woman is to stand trial accused of stealing over €26,000 from an elderly lady who she worked for as a carer in Castleisland.
At Tralee District Court, Judge David Waters sent 52-year-old Anna Michalska of Scrahan, Castleisland, forward for trial or on a signed plea to Tralee Circuit Court on 61 counts of theft.
Her solicitor Pádraig O’Connell told the court that Ms Michalska, who's originally from Poland, was not going to avail of the option to sign a guilty plea, meaning she would stand trial on those charges.
Ms Michalska is accused of stealing thousands of euro in cash from this elderly lady, at the AIB on Main Street in Castleisland.
Ms Michalska was employed by the woman as a cleaner and carer.
The 61 charges which she faces allege that the offending began in July 2023 with over €900 in cash stolen from the elderly woman’s bank account in that month alone.
Further sums of thousands of euro in cash are then alleged to have been stolen from this AIB bank account in Castleisland over the next seven months, up to the end of February 2024.
Ms Michalska is also accused of stealing thousands of euro by making 31 separate transfers from this elderly woman’s American bank account, into her own Revolut account, between October 2023 and February 2024.
In the week leading up to Christmas of 2023 alone, Ms Michalska is accused of stealing almost €1,500 from this woman.
Ms Michalska is charged with stealing over €5,500 from the woman in January 2024, and over €9,700 from her in February of that year.
At Tralee District Court this week, her solicitor Pádraig O’Connell said the book of evidence against his client had been served.
Judge David Waters sent her forward to the next sitting of Tralee Circuit Criminal Court, either for trial or on a signed guilty plea.
Mr O’Connell said his client is not availing of the signed plea, meaning she is due to stand trial on the 61 charges of theft against her.
There was no objection to bail or to legal aid; Mr O’Connell said Ms Michalska had lost her employment yesterday, having been involved with a company that was cleaning the garda station.
