Former security worker avoids jail for theft of Croke Park season tickets

A former deputy head of security at Croke Park has received a fully suspended sentence for the theft of premium season ticket booklets. John Gibson, aged 45, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing seven booklets containing 33 tickets each from the stadium between January and March 2014. The booklets, valued at €9,313, were taken while Gibson worked at the Hogan Stand security desk for Brinks Allied. The court heard the tickets could not be sold individually and therefore held no resale value, with Gibson making no financial gain. He subsequently distributed the booklets among family members and associates. Judge Martin Nolan imposed an 18-month prison sentence suspended in full, noting Gibson's considerable remorse and acceptance that his loss of employment constituted sufficient punishment. The judge described him as a decent man who had made a serious mistake. Gibson, of Rush, County Dublin, had no previous convictions.