Northern Ireland

Former GAA star Johnny McGurk to be sentenced for £570k theft next week

Former All-Ireland winner Johnny McGurk at Antrim Crown Court. Picture by Mark Jamieson
Former All-Ireland winner Johnny McGurk at Antrim Crown Court. Picture by Mark Jamieson Former All-Ireland winner Johnny McGurk at Antrim Crown Court. Picture by Mark Jamieson

FORMER  All-Ireland winner Johnny McGurk will find out his sentence next week for stealing more than half a million pounds from one of the north's best known road-building firms.

Antrim Crown Court heard on Friday that the former Derry GAA star, from Drummuck Road near Maghera, almost brought the family-run company Patrick Bradley Ltd to the verge of bankruptcy.

In all the 50-year-old company accountant pleaded guilty to the theft of £572,206 from the quarry and road firm and 34 other charges involving fraud by abuse of his position of trust from July 2006 until the end of 2011.

Prosecution lawyer Amanda Brady also revealed that when McGurk, who helped his county lift its first Sam Maguire cup in 1993, was uncovered he tried to pay nearly £40,000 of their own money back to the company.

Ms Brady said when one of the company directors initially told McGurk that he and several others were to be questioned about financial irregularities, he replied "It's me" before offering to resign.

McGurk, who also helped Lavey win the 1991 All-Ireland club championship, said he thought he had taken up to £50,000, but two days later in an email suggested he had no assets and may have taken over £157,000 to pay for a gambling addiction.

When questioned by police he said he had been taking money for about six or seven years, starting with small amounts but that it soon escalated.

McGurk estimated that he had taken between £200,000 and £300,000 and "would be surprised if it were more".

However, he finally accepted that he had taken over half a million pounds from the firm where he had been in a position of trust.

Other aggravating features included the length of his offending.

Defence lawyer Seamus McNeill described McGurk as a broken man who wished to publicly and humbly apologise to all for his disgraceful and outrageous behaviour, his breach of trust and the personal hurt, and financial jeopardy he may have caused.

The apology came, said Mr McNeill, not from a Johnny-come-lately, but from a man once revered, whose life now lay in "utter ruins".

"You have before you," he said, "a broken man... a man now burdened by shame and disgrace".