A former Castlebar solicitor, who stole €260,000 from her clients over a three year period, has been jailed for a year.

47-year old Jacqueline Durcan, a mother-of-five originally from Co Mayo with an address in Brussels carried out the thefts after a series of “catastrophic” investments during the property boom.

Most of the money stolen was put back into the family practice, including paying for professional indemnity insurance, while the court heard that €51,000 was used towards stamp duty for the purchase of her own home.

The prison sentence was handed down by Judge Patricia Ryan this morning.

Jacqueline Durcan had pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of stealing €260,000 between February 21, 2008 and January 27, 2011.

The court heard that Ms Durcan was running the family business, Durcan Solicitors in Castlebar, which she had taken over from her father, at the time of the offence.

She and her husband owed €6.5 million to banks at the time due to the catastrophic property investments they had made.

Handing down a one-year prison sentence, Judge Patricia Ryan said she was taking into account testimonials and references on behalf of Ms Durcan. She said that the serious breach of trust by a solicitor, the continuing nature of the thefts and the amount of money stolen were aggravating factors.

She noted that Ms Durcan's early plea of guilty was of value and that this conviction has ended her employment.