Man who burnt out company van was “having a bad day”

By Jessica Magee

A man who burnt out a company van in a bid to conceal the theft of €4,000 told his boss he was “having a bad day”, a court has heard.

Stephen Leech (42) pleaded guilty to stealing €4,000 from his employer at Taney Crescent, Dundrum, on September 29, 2022, and to committing arson of a van on the same date.

Leech had a gambling addiction and set fire to his employer’s van before claiming that the cash had also been burnt, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Leech was handed a three-year sentence suspended in full on strict conditions on Thurday.

Judge Martin Nolan said the aggravating feature of this case was Leech’s betrayal of his employer’s trust and the significant loss caused.

He said Leech’s “previous good behaviour” suggested that he was unlikely to offend in the future and had come up with this “misguided scheme to deal with his financial problems.” This was a “huge misjudgement,” the judge said.

Judge Nolan also directed Leech to collect €7,500 in the next 18 months and offer it to his employer. If they do not accept the money, the judge ordered that it should be given to a local charity chosen by the investigating garda.

Judge Nolan told Leech this was to “punish him” for his actions, noting that it was a “close-run thing” but “what saved you was your good work record and absence of previous offending”.

The court heard that Leech, who has an address at Mulvey Park, Dundrum, had been working for a small plumbing company for 12 years before the offences.

Garda Jack Hamilton told Aideen Collard BL, prosecuting, that Leech had a gambling addiction and had used the sum of €4,000, which he was due to give to his employer, to feed his habit.

Leech’s employer told gardaí he got a missed call from the accused on the morning in question, followed by a text saying, “Please, please ring ASAP.”

The employer saw Leech standing at the passenger door of one of his work vans, a white Fiat Ducato, removing items from the van and throwing them on the ground.

The cab had been burnt out and Leech, who appeared agitated, said one of the batteries must have been faulty and caught fire, adding, “The money is all burnt.”

Leech told his employer, “I’m having a bad day,” to which his boss replied: “You’re having a bad day? I’m down four grand and a van.”

Leech responded: “It was a heap of shit anyway.”

When the employer became suspicious, Leech added: “Look into my eyes. After all you’ve done for me, do you think I would do that to you?”

CCTV footage of the incident showed Leech standing beside the cab door and closing it before black smoke was seen building in the cab, and a fire ignited.

Leech was seen leaving the scene and returning two minutes later.

He was later arrested by appointment and made admissions, saying he had used a lighter and some papers to ignite the fire.

Damage to the value of over €16,000 was caused to the van, the court heard.

Leech told gardaí he was sorry and ashamed and that his gambling had gotten out of control.

“I was receiving texts from people saying I owed them lots of money,” he said.

A short victim impact statement was handed into court but not read aloud.

Gda Hamilton agreed with Paul Comiskey O’Keeffe BL, defending that Leech had previously lost money in an online loan scam and, in an effort to recoup his losses, had taken to gambling.

His wife now has control of the family’s accounts and debit cards, the court heard.

Counsel said Leech has addressed his gambling and that this could be treated as a one-off offence.

Leech has no previous convictions and has shown genuine remorse, counsel said.

The court heard Leech would like to raise money to compensate the victim.

The court heard that Leech has three children, one of whom has returned to live at the family home with her two small children.

Leech is the main breadwinner for the family, and his counsel said he will suffer “permanent reputational damage” and immediate termination of his employment due to this offence.