Owen Collins of Mountain Barracks, Mitchelstown appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court today.
Defence barrister Hannah Cahill told the court that her client had developed a serious gambling problem and had started stealing sums of money from the charity Cat Haven in June 2017.
Judge Helen Boyle heard that Collins- who pleaded guilty to the charges- had repaid €27,500 to the charity and had taken steps to address his gambling addiction, including counselling and closing his online gambling accounts.
He also closed his bank accounts and only has a Credit Union account that is managed by his partner.
The court heard that Collins is extremely ashamed of his actions and wanted to offer a sincere apology to everyone involved in the charity.
Judge Boyle said the early plea was of enormous benefit to the court and noted that Collins had made efforts to address his gambling problem.
She imposed a 30 month sentence on him which she suspended for 30 months.
