The first ever judge to go prison in Ireland received a 2-½ year sentence for attempting to defraud a friend of his fortune.

Judge Heather Perrin was convicted of seeking to defraud a close friend by changing his will to leave half of his $1.5 million fortune to her two sons, reports the Irish Times.

The crime was committed before she went to work in the courts with a salary of $200,000.

She conspired to change her friend's will at her office, leaving half his fortune to her sons. The victim, Thomas Davis, who was in his eighties, actually intended to leave the two sons $3,000 each.

Her lawyers stated that it was a simple case of confusion but the jury quickly found her guilty.

Read more Irish crime stories here

Perrin, who graduated from being a legal secretary to a lawyer and then a judge, will serve her time in a women’s prison where she will sleep in “hard bunk beds with thin duvets.” according to one report.

Once she was known as one of the best-dressed members of the bench who favored fine jewelry and was a much-cited example of a woman who rose to almost unheard of levels in the Irish law.

In court however, she appeared confused, apparently expecting a suspended sentence and clinging to her husband before she was led away in tears.

Read more Irish news stories here
Justice Mary Ellen Ring stated her sentence would have been a year longer but for health issues that had arisen.

The court heard character evidence from the Church of Ireland Archdeacon of Dublin, David Pierpoint about her work on behalf of young girls.

Former Judge, Heather Perrin: