St Gregory’s College teacher Michael Peter McGuiggan convicted for stealing Ritalin from HSC student
A former private school teacher has lost his ‘dream job’ — and been sentenced in court — after stealing medication prescribed to a student who was preparing for his HSC at the time.
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The career of an aspiring teacher at St Gregory’s College in Campbelltown has crumbled after he was caught red-handed stealing a HSC student’s medication from a locked safe.
An alumni of the college, 33-year-old Michael Peter McGuiggan, of Grasmere, pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing Ritalin pills from an HSC student on three occasions in June and July last year. The prescription medication, commonly used to treat ADHD, was stored in a pin-locked safe which could only be accessed by five staff members.
Court documents reveal the student’s medication had been going missing from the school’s five locked safes since the start of the year.
On June 11, the college’s senior boarding co-ordinator discovered a box of 20 Ritalin pills had gone missing from one of the safes, resulting in staff searching the rooms of more than 50 students. McGuiggan pleaded guilty to stealing these pills.
At the time, the boarding co-ordinator spoke to McGuiggan about the missing medication who expressed surprise at the reports before placing the blame on “smart kids” stealing the pills to get “high marks”. He also offered to help with any investigation.
The next day, the college implemented a security software program to electronically log all access to the safes in a bid to stop the robberies.
On June 25, the boarding co-ordinator inspected the safe to discover another 18 Ritalin pills, prescribed to the same HSC student, was stolen and the students’ rooms were searched once more.
McGuiggan has pleaded guilty to stealing these pills.
The next day, the deputy principal installed a camera to monitor the safe.
On July 15, McGuiggan is seen on CCTV entering the room with the safe and closing the blinds. He stands in the centre of the room for a period of time before opening the safe and putting an item in his pocket. He pleaded guilty to stealing six Ritalin tablets.
The court heard the 33-year-old father of a newborn had lost his “dream job” as a result of his actions, which had “destroyed his teaching career”.
Magistrate Ian Guy said the crimes required a “level of planning” and he was in a “position of trust”.
“(The school) had a system in place that should have, in normal circumstances, provide protection (to the prescription medication),” he said.
McGuiggan, now unemployed, was convicted, fined $800 and placed on an 18-month good behaviour bond.