Wednesday 28 October 2026Compiled from published reports. Every claim links to its source.

Ireland Crime

Every case followed from the first report to the sentence, or to where the reporting stopped.

Case No. 6805Theft and deception · Co. Dublin

Former bank manager jailed for stealing €2.7m from AIB

Former bank manager Patrick Challoner, 54, took €2.7 million from AIB's Artane branch in Dublin through a scheme that the court heard lasted 16 years, with theft charges covering August 2002 to February 2011. He pleaded guilty to five sample theft charges and one deception charge over a €300,000 transfer on 2 December 2016. He was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, and reports from 11 January 2024 differ on whether he received three years with the final 12 months suspended or two years in prison.

  1. Reportednot reported
  2. Arrestednot reported
  3. Chargednot reported
  4. In courtnot reported
  5. Verdictnot reported
  6. Sentenced11 Jan
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet

Key facts

consolidated from all reports
What happened
  • Patrick Challoner, a 54-year-old former bank manager, took €2.7 million from his employer, AIB.
  • He created fictitious undocumented loan accounts for customers whose own legitimate applications were delayed or refused.
Cause
He funded the bogus loans with money taken from customers who believed they were authorising an investment fund, and the cash was never invested.
Other details
  • He moved funds between customer accounts to fill gaps, and attached 'do not post statements' notes so customers stayed unaware.
  • The bank suffered a total loss of €3.2 million, including reimbursing customers and the cost of an external audit.
  • Challoner did not financially benefit from the scheme and had repaid €60,000.
Where
The thefts were from AIB's Artane branch in Dublin.
When
The scheme lasted 16 years, and the theft charges covered dates between August 2002 and February 2011.
Charges
  • He pleaded guilty to five sample theft charges, which represented more than 100 charges involving thousands of transactions.
  • He pleaded guilty to one deception charge over a transfer of €300,000 on 2 December 2016.
In court
The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, where the judge described the offence as mid-range and cited his early guilty plea as a mitigating factor.
Sentence
Sources differ on the sentence: one says three years with the final 12 months suspended for two years, while the Irish Times reports a two-year jail term.
15 statements extracted from the articles
  • whatChalloner created fictitious undocumented loan accounts for customers when their own legitimate applications were delayed or refused. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatChalloner funded the bogus loans by taking money from customers who believed they were authorising an investment fund. (irishtimes.com)
  • whatThe cash taken for the supposed investment was never invested. (irishtimes.com)
  • whereThe thefts were from the Artane branch of AIB. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe scheme lasted 16 years. (irishtimes.com)
  • whenThe theft charges covered dates between August 2002 and February 2011. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeChalloner pleaded guilty to five sample charges of theft. (irishtimes.com)
  • chargeChalloner pleaded guilty to one charge of deception over a transfer of €300,000 on 2 December 2016. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe judge described the offence as mid-range. (irishtimes.com)
  • courtThe mitigating factors included Challoner's early guilty plea. (irishtimes.com)
  • sentenceChalloner was sentenced to three years in prison with the final 12 months suspended for two years. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe sample charges represented more than 100 charges involving thousands of transactions. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherThe bank suffered a total loss of €3.2 million, including reimbursing customers and the cost of an external audit. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherChalloner did not financially benefit from the scheme. (irishtimes.com)
  • otherChalloner had repaid €60,000. (irishtimes.com)

The reporting

newest first
  1. 11 Jan2024
    Sentencedirishtimes.com, first report
    Former bank manager jailed for stealing €2.7m from AIB via ‘undocumented’ accounts

    Reports the sentencing of Patrick Challoner, who pleaded guilty to five sample theft charges and one deception charge. Gives the sentence, the mitigating factors, the total loss and details of how the scheme worked.

    convicted, Patrick Challoner, 54, male, named, irish (judged from name)Patrick Challoner