Spiritual medium given suspended sentence for acting as wedding director

By Natasha Reid

A spiritual medium has been given a nine-month suspended sentence after he acted as a director of a spiritual wedding and funeral business when he was disqualified from running a company.

Tom Colton (49) of The Park, St Wolstan’s Abbey, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, had been disqualified following a theft conviction from 2014.

The former rugby player and accountant was before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday, where he had pleaded guilty to acting as a director at Grá agus Solas ULC between August 2016 and May 2018, when disqualified due to a conviction for theft.

The charges came following an investigation by the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA).

He admitted acting in a manner or capacity prohibited by a disqualification order, as a director and secretary of Grá Agus Solas, Unit 3, The Courtyard, Kilcarbery Park, Nangor Road in Dublin, and being directly concerned in the formation and management of the company.

Detective Garda Gary Callanan told the court that Colton received an automatic five-year disqualification from company directorship on December 5, 2014, after being sentenced to four years in prison with 18 months suspended for the theft of €322,000.

However, he filed various papers with the Companies Registration Office using his Irish name, Tomás Mac Cultan, when Grá agus Solas was registered in 2016.

The court heard that the company provided celebrant services for weddings, funerals, and baby naming ceremonies.

Colton told gardaí that he had used his Irish name to avoid media attention following his conviction, and that he only later learned that he had been disqualified.

The court heard that, as well as the theft offence, which triggered the automatic disqualification, Colton also had a previous conviction from Dublin District Court under the Companies Act.

This involved a charge of acting as a statutory auditor when not approved to do so.

The court heard that today’s was the first prosecution of acting as a director following an automatic disqualification, and that Colton was now consenting to a 10-year disqualification under the Companies Registration Act.

Under cross examination by Cathal Ó Braonáin BL, defending, D Gda Callanan agreed that there had been no mention in court on the day of his theft conviction of him being disqualified.

He accepted that he had become aware of his disqualification in 2018 and immediately resigned.

This was four years prior to the investigation.

Ó Braonáin said that his client had started Grá agus Solas with his wife.

It subcontracted to celebrants, with 60 celebrants currently contracted with it.

Counsel said that his client’s wife had suffered a stroke in 2021, had heart surgery the following year and that her memory was not great.

He handed in a letter from her, in which she spoke of how difficult it would be for her if he was incarcerated.

The court heard that the sanction for the offence is up to five years in prison, with or without a fine of up to €50,000.

Judge Sinead Ní Chúlacháin noted that there was no system in place for people to be informed when they are automatically disqualified.

She said his guilty plea was valuable as this may well have been a complex trial, especially as it was the first prosecution of its type.

She noted testimonials that described him as a family man and a community volunteer, particularly in relation to children and sport.

She described his consent to a longer period of disqualification than would be imposed as evidence of remorse.

She imposed a nine-month sentence, but suspended it in full and disqualified him from being a company director for 10 years.