A former Dublin bus depot worker was among several individuals charged after surveillance cameras revealed fuel being siphoned from buses.
Eugene Nolan, 30, from Portarlington, Co Laois, admitted to handling €110 worth of stolen diesel on Killeen Road, Dublin 12, on 10th June last year. He also pleaded guilty to three further thefts of fuel, totalling €772, at the Conyngham Road bus depot on 4th, 8th, and 9th July last year.
Dublin District Court heard that a bus inspector initially became suspicious after observing a bus parked near a plastic drum on Killeen Road. Subsequent CCTV footage showed Nolan driving the bus from the garage before meeting a Mercedes car. He then transferred three plastic barrels containing 75 litres of diesel to the Mercedes driver.
An internal investigation by Dublin Bus, assisted by a private investigation company using covert CCTV surveillance between 4th and 11th July, captured three individuals siphoning diesel. Nolan was seen loading barrels into his car on three separate occasions. His solicitor, Paddy McGarry, stated that Nolan was among the first to be apprehended in what became known to Dublin Bus as “ongoing” thefts.
Nolan, a father-of-two, had been employed by Dublin Bus for 12 years but lost his job as a consequence of the thefts. Mr McGarry informed the court that Nolan had a cocaine problem at the time but was now clean. Nolan’s only previous offence was for holding a mobile phone while driving. He brought €800 in compensation to court, and Mr McGarry requested that the judge not record convictions for the thefts.
Judge Treasa Kelly described the actions as a “complete breach of trust” but acknowledged that Nolan had already faced significant consequences. She deferred finalising the case and ordered a restorative justice report. Nolan remains on continuing bail and is scheduled to reappear in court on 14 July.
Source: Irish Independent