U2 BASS guitarist Adam Clayton has secured a temporary court order restraining his former personal assistant from reducing her assets below €1.8 million after alleging she may have misappropriated funds in that amount.
The musician last month terminated the employment of Carol Hawkins, Crannagh Road, Dublin 14, after she confessed to using his debit and credit cards for her own use and for her family’s benefit, the High Court heard yesterday.
It appeared an apartment had been bought in New York and an investigation had also revealed some €900 per month was spent on a syndicate which maintained horses, the court was told.
Paul Sreenan SC, for Mr Clayton, Danesmoate Demesne, Kellystown Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin, secured the freezing order from Ms Justice Mary Laffoy yesterday evening against Ms Hawkins. The judge adjourned the case to Monday.
Mr Sreenan said the matter went back to September 2008 when Ms Hawkins – who worked as a housekeeper and personal assistant – had come to Mr Clayton and confessed she had misappropriated €13,000 of his money. He had dealt with this in “a compassionate manner” and had altered his financial arrangements accordingly and kept her on in employment.
However, counsel said it had since emerged that Ms Hawkins, without the authorisation of Mr Clayton, had used his debit and credit cards.
On November 19th last, when allegations were put to her, she had accepted the cards had been used and money taken without Mr Clayton’s authorisation but she had disputed the sums involved, Mr Sreenan said. Her employment had been terminated.
Certain matters had been referred to the Garda, counsel added.
Mr Sreenan said Ms Hawkins had denied she had bought a house, cars or jewellery. When it was suggested to her she had been withdrawing about €600 twice daily for a period of 13 months, she said she had used it as needed.
Mr Sreenan said an investigation by accountants concluded that sums of up to €1.8 million might have been misappropriated.
