Carrigaline woman confesses to making false documents and attempt to pervert course of justice

A WOMAN who confessed to creating a fraudulent character reference for her sentencing hearing left court on continuing bail pending sentence in a month’s time - despite an 18-month jail term imposed on her in February.

Emma Fehily, 35, with an address at Fern Drive, Kilmoney, Carrigaline, County Cork, was at liberty when she attended Cork District Court. Fehily signed pleas of guilty to four charges related to fraudulently creating documents and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

An 18-month jail term was imposed in February on the same defendant who was described as “robbing Peter to pay Paul” in a case where she ended up stealing from three different employers.

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin was reminded in February of a total sentence of two-and-a-half years imposed on the same defendant prior to the February sentencing, and he was informed that she was released from prison on temporary release after serving five months. The judge said in relation to that early release, “You would wonder why bother.” 

He then imposed the 18-month term. And Fehily was at liberty again today. 

There was no reference at Cork District Court to the temporary release from prison that would have made that possible.

The charges to which Fehily pleaded guilty relate to two counts of creating false documents and two for attempting to pervert the course of justice with these documents.

The first charges specify that at Rockwell Automation, IDA industrial estate, Carrigtohill, County Cork, on July 12, 2018 she allegedly made a false document purporting to be a character reference from an employer and, on the same date at the same place, another document falsely indicating full time/permanent employment.

The next two charges state that she produced these documents on November 16, 2018 to a Circuit Court judge passing sentence in a case, with the intention that the course of public justice should thereby be perverted.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, confirmed that Fehily was in court to sign pleas of guilty to all four counts.

Judge Olann Kelleher sent the case forward for sentencing on June 15 at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.