Teacher defrauded State of almost €60,000 by faking two pregnancies

Seán McCárthaigh

A teacher who faked two pregnancies and wore a “fake bump” to school in a fraud that cost the State almost €60,000 has received a suspended sentence for what a judge called “an extraordinary case” after spending the last four months in custody.

Eimear Carroll (43) of Hillside, Seffin, Birr, Co Offaly, had pleaded guilty to fraudulently claiming maternity-related payments from the Department of Education and the Department of Social Protection for two pregnancies which never occurred, as well as creating false documents.

At a sitting of Tullamore Circuit Criminal Court on Friday, Judge Keenan Johnson sentenced Carroll to five years in prison but suspended the term after taking into account that she had chosen to remain in custody in relation to the charges since February 1st this year.

While describing it as quite an extraordinary case, Judge Johnson remarked that it was “a fraud that would inevitably have been discovered…because there were no children.”

The teacher, who is a single woman with no children, had claimed she was married to a man called Peter Parsons and had given birth to two children – a boy, Oran and a girl called Emily – in quick succession.

The offences occurred on dates between November 2017 and February 2019.

The court heard that the teacher, who worked at Derrylamogue National School in Rosenallis, Co Laois, had claimed €12,425 in maternity benefit, while €46,939 had been paid for maternity leave cover.

It also heard that Carroll, who lost her teaching job, had falsified documentation from three doctors to support her applications for maternity benefit.

Garda James Martin confirmed to counsel for the DPP, Shane Geraghty BL that all the money has been repaid to the State.

Garda Martin had previously given evidence that the Department of Social Protection had received information that Carroll was suspected of claiming maternity benefit while off work even though she had not given birth to any child.

He said an investigation discovered that there had been no claims for child benefit after the payments for maternity benefit, which was unusual as they would be “a natural progression.”

It was subsequently established that there were no records of any children having been born to the accused in the General Register Office, which documents all births and stillbirths.

Defence counsel, John Paul Shortt SC, said Carroll had benefited from the time she had already spent in custody in relation to the case as an updated psychological report showed she had progressed to a stage of acknowledging her wrongdoing.

The barrister said she had engaged with the process “to clear her slate.”

He pointed out that Carroll had also been assessed at being at a low-risk of re-offending.

Shortt said there was significant collateral damage for her as her prospects of being re-employed as a teacher were “probably very unlikely.”

He noted that she had already spent a considerable period of her life in custody over recent years as she had a prior conviction.

Shortt said Carroll had wisely chosen not to take up bail for the current case after she had completed her other sentence.

He urged the court to consider a non-custodial case so that she could continue her rehabilitation.

Judge Johnson said the offending, which involved a sum of approximately €59,300, had occurred over a period of 18-24 months and involved “a large degree of planning and premeditation.”

The judge said it was clear from a psychological report that the accused had a perception that she was not fairly treated.

He said she had taken “a Draconian action” of faking two pregnancies in order to get away from her workplace.

Judge Johnson said it seemed she had issues with paranoid thinking and believed others wished to harm her.

“She was clearly unwell. To an extent she was living in a parallel universe, and her actions were somewhat like that character from the Walter Mitty novel,” he added.

The judge said she had gone to extraordinary lengths such as creating fake doctor certificates, which he claimed was a serious matter as well as wearing a fake bump.

He said the biggest harm in the case had been undone with the repayment of the money owed to the State by Carroll with the help of her family.

The judge said her actions had undermined the integrity of the social welfare system, while she was also a teacher – a position which required the highest standards.

However, he also acknowledged she had entered an early guilty plea and cooperated with gardaí.

The judge accepted she had also expressed remorse and noted she had mental health issues which included depression and suicidal ideation.

He also observed that Carroll had suffered “a huge fall from grace” for someone with a highly respected profession but was fortunate to enjoy the support of her family and partner.

Sentencing the defendant to five years in prison, Judge Johnson backdated the sentence to February 1st 2026, when she was placed in custody for the offences.

The judge said he would fully suspend the remainder of the sentence for a period of seven years subject to a number of conditions.

They included that Carroll keeps the peace and places herself under the supervision of the Probation Service for the next 12 months and engages with recommended therapeutic treatment.

Carroll had previously received a two-year jail sentence for a two-year campaign of harassment against a care worker after being convicted by Clonmel Circuit Criminal Court in February 2024.

The teacher had pleaded guilty to one count of harassment and two counts of sending an article by post which was obscene, grossly offensive or obscene.

Carroll had sent around 500 letters to the victim’s family, friends and place of work as well as to the Health Information and Quality Authority in which she claimed the care worker had physically and verbally abused patients.

She had also accused the woman of spreading sexual diseases.

Carroll subsequently had an appeal against the severity of the sentence rejected by the Court of Appeal, which expressed concern at the racism expressed in her communications when she repeatedly referred to her victim as a “knacker.”