Limerick man charged with stealing over €28,000 from HR firm returned for trial to Ennis Circuit Court

A 55-year old Limerick man charged with stealing over €28,000 from a well known HR firm has been returned for trial to the circuit court.

At Ennis District Court, Philip Kelly of Spring Grove, Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick appeared in connection with 57 charges made up of 47 theft and 10 concerning alleged forgery over a six year period.

Mr Kelly is accused of the theft of a cumulative €28,672 from HR Interventions and Adam Coleman on dates between October 1, 2011 and June 2017.

Mr Kelly also faces 10 forgery charges concerning €11,000 contrary to Section 25 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud) Offences Act 2001.

In court, Garda Emmet Roche gave evidence of serving the four volume Book of Evidence on solicitor, Monica Roche for the accused to allow the case go forward to the circuit court.

The alleged theft and forgery charges against HR Interventions and Mr Coleman predate Mr Coleman selling the business - trading at HRLocker - to the ISH Group in a deal in November 2024.

At the time deal industry sources estimated the ISH deal to be a seven-figure sum and as part of the deal Mr Coleman stepped from the business he founded and he resigned as director on November 28th 2024.

HRLocker offers a digital HR information system that manages the employee life cycle, including GDPR-compliant employee databases, time management, performance management, and HR and payroll reporting.

In one charge, Mr Kelly is accused of stealing €350 on December 22, 2015 by disguising the money as a payment to Copy Type where he entered his own personal bank account as the recipient of the disguised monies which were the property of HR Intervention and Adam Coleman.

In another, Mr Kelly is accused of stealing €625 from HR Intervention and Adam Coleman on November 24, 2016 by disguising the money as a business payment to Tree Ireland and further accused of on November 18, 2016 of stealing €312 from HR Intervention and Adam Coleman by disguising the money as a payment to Wellness Ireland.

Mr Kelly is further charged with December 16, 2016 of stealing €432 from the same two parties by disguising the money as a business payment to Viking Direct.

As part of the alleged overall €28,672 theft, Mr Kelly is accused of stealing €18,941 in 332 credit card transactions.

Mr Kelly also faces 10 charges of making a false expenses claim form for HR Intervention Ltd at an unknown place within the State where Adam Coleman’s signature was copied onto the expense form without his knowledge or consent to the value of €11,000.

The alleged false expense claim forms included six forms for €1,200 each two at €1,250 and one at €1,400 on August 15, 2017.

Judge Adrian Harris sent forward Mr Kelly for trial to the next sittings of Ennis Circuit Court.

Due to the backlog in cases as a result of the solicitors’ criminal legal dispute it is likely that the case against Mr Kelly will not be proceed until sometime in 2027.