Gheorghe Zoltan (48) of Dominic Court, Dominic Street, Cork sat in the dock before Judge David Waters at Tralee District Court on Wednesday, arrested years after an eight-month spree around the churches of Kerry and Cork.
A priest discovered Mr Zoltan mid-theft on December 21, 2022 at The Friary, Fair Hill, Killarney, the court heard. He was charged with the theft of €25 from Eammon O’Driscoll for the incident but authorities believed the loss may have been greater.
“He fled, it is unknown what was the loss that day,” said Sergeant Chris Manton. Mr Zoltan was also caught on CCTV at two other churches, said the sergeant, noting that CCTV had become commonplace at churches.
He was charged with the theft of €100 from Fr Kieran O’Brien at the Church of the Resurrection on Park Road, Killarney on July 29, 2023 and the theft of €100 from John Fitzgerald of St Patrick’s Church, West End, Mill Street, Cork in Mallow District.
Although Mr Zoltan was not identified locally, footage was distributed nationally, Sgt Manton told the court.
“He was subsequently identified and arrested in Donegal on January 26,” said the sergeant.
Mr Zoltan made his first court appearance, in Killarney District Court on Monday, where his defence solicitor Padraig O’Connell told the court Mr Zoltan had “genuflected after he took money from the box”.
Entering a plea in Tralee two days later, his defence solicitor Pat Mann explained the accused had lived in Ireland for four years and “worked and worked” at various jobs.
“But he became, to a large degree, homeless and that’s why he ended up in Donegal,” said Mr Mann.
When the solicitor asked him why he had chosen to steal from a church, he simply said, “I am a fool”.
“But that’s really the only answer he can give me in relation to the church,” said Mr Mann.
The judge replied that be it church, mosque or synagogue, it was “a mean thing” to target any religious organisation collecting money in good faith for charity purposes.
He sentenced Mr Zoltan to four months prison for each charge, suspended for one year.