DUBLIN, Ireland: A teacher was fired from her job and barred from teaching for five years by the High Court for deceiving her colleagues out of a total of over 2,000 euros in an elaborate hoax.

This week, Justice David Barniville confirmed the Teaching Council's sanction against the teacher.

The teacher, the school, or the victims cannot be identified by court order.

The Teaching Council disciplinary panel said all the allegations amounted to professional misconduct. The teacher had exploited her colleagues through an elaborate, carefully planned deception, and her conduct was disgraceful.

Brian Gageby BL told the court that in 2021, the teacher offered items at a reduced rate to two Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and another teacher, but never delivered them.

One SNA never received the goods after paying 375 euros, while another SNA suffered the same fate after paying the teacher 545 euros for the goods. A teaching colleague paid her 1,202 euros for specific items.

The Counsel told the court that one of the SNAs wanted to surprise her son at Christmas with a PS5, which the teacher offered at a reduced rate. The SNA paid the teacher for items that never materialized.

Another SNA wanted gifts for her birthday and for Christmas, and the teacher told her she knew someone who worked in a tech company and a toy store. However, by December 23 of that year, the goods had not arrived, and the SNA had to borrow money to buy them.

Counsel said the three victims did not have much money, and the teacher had offered to get them items at a reduced rate.

Counsel said the teacher continued to lie when confronted by her victims and showed a disturbing lack of empathy.

The Teaching Council disciplinary panel stated that the teacher displayed a very high level of professional misconduct and had carefully planned the deception.

Justice Barniville said he was satisfied the sanction was appropriate, considering the disturbing circumstances of the case and even though the teacher had repaid the amounts.