Principal Addicted to Gambling Receives a Teaching Job After Scandal

Recovering gambling addict Malachy McNulty has received a teaching job after the former principal embezzled €100,000 ($102,000) from a special needs school, The Irish Sun on Sunday reported. McNulty struggled with severe gambling addiction which sent him into reckless patterns, resulting in theft from the school he was at the time a principal of.

Recovering from Crime and Looking Towards the Future

The crime took place between 2017 and 2019. After serving out jail time, McNulty has now been appointed at a new school as he continues to recover from his gambling addiction. McNulty was originally sentenced to six years in prison, but served only 1.5 years, as the remainder of his sentence was suspended based on various conditions.

McNulty is now in recovery as he seeks to tackle the gambling addiction that pushed him into the desperate habit. He is part of Gamblers Anonymous, an NGO that brings people struggling with gambling addiction and seeks to help them by establishing a structure of “sponsors,” similar to how Alcoholics Anonymous works.

Part of McNulty’s journey to recovery and his release hinges on him not gambling anymore, which is a challenging thing to do for someone suffering from addiction. He will have to repay the St Francis School, he embezzled, €60,000 ($61,200). At the height of his addiction, McNulty felt compelled to steal money from the school that had funds allocated for staff and people with specific learning disabilities, which he then tried to hide through forged signatures.

He cashed out around 63 cheques, with 48 out using a fake signature and the remainder signed by Fr Paddy Byrne, the co-chair of the school board who trusted McNulty and did not suspect foul play until very late. While The Irish Sun on Sunday’s coverage tried to demonize McNulty and his struggles, the man himself has been on a path to recovery.

Too Little Done to Address Gambling Addiction

Gambling addiction is a recognized medical condition that pushes people to desperation. There are several hundred suicides related to gambling, with the toll as high as 650. This is why a now delayed White Paper, which is set to review Gambling Act 2005, and hopefully minimizes gambling-related harm, has been causing so much anger among consumers and industry bodies.

Gambling addiction continues to claim lives, but when it doesn’t, it turns good people into desperate measures which have lifelong consequences. McNulty may have gotten easy for now, but his struggles with addiction continue on daily.