Former Irish international rugby star sentenced to three years in prison

Former Ireland international Brendan Mullin, a one-time chief executive of Bank of Ireland’s private bank, was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing over €500,000 from the institution a decade ago.

The 61-year-old from Stillorgan Road, Donnybrook, Dublin, was found guilty earlier this month of theft and false accounting charges involving more than €570,000 between 2011 and 2013. Despite initially pleading not guilty, Mullin now accepts the jury’s verdict.

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Judge Martin Nolan, who presided over the case, acknowledged that Mullin is unlikely to re-offend or secure a similar role in the future but emphasized the gravity of the offences. “This was a very serious matter,” he said, underscoring the breach of trust involved in stealing from the organization he led.

The court heard how Mullin orchestrated a series of fraudulent transactions. He arranged for the Bank of Ireland to pay his personal expenses, disguising invoices as business costs and splitting them across different departments. Funds were routed to companies connected to Mullin, including Spice Holdings, a British Virgin Islands entity he had introduced to the bank. Payments were also made to solicitors, accountants, and consultants for work related to his personal ventures, such as Quantum Investment Strategies.

The theft occurred during a breakdown in communication within the banking group. While Mullin has repaid all the stolen funds, the prosecution highlighted the premeditated nature of his actions.

Defence counsel Brendan Grehan described Mullin’s ordeal as “a huge fall from grace,” adding that his client has suffered both personally and professionally. Mullin’s remorse and the stress caused by delays in the case were noted, but the judge said a custodial sentence was necessary due to the seriousness of the crime.