‘He will get jail if he offends by September’

A YOUNG Listowel man who pleaded guilty to the unlawful taking of a bicycle two months after a Judge gave him a suspended sentence for an assault that had a ‘profound impact’ on his victim has been warned that he will be jailed if he reoffends in the near future.

Finn Scratchley, Dromerin, Listowel, came before Judge David Waters at Listowel District Court on Thursday, June 21, for the offence of unlawfully taking a pedal bicycle from outside the Ladbroke’s betting shop on Church St, Listowel, on April 4 last.

The Court heard that Mr Scratchley had received a suspended sentence at the same court just two months previously - on February 15 – for what Judge Waters said was ‘a number of very serious offences’.

The Judge recalled that the only reason Mr Scratchley was not jailed on the matter was due to the fact that he had had an unblemished record.

“Gardaí got a report of a bicycle being taken...Mr Scratchley was identified by CCTV,” Sergeant Miriam Mulhall Nolan told Judge Waters.

Sgt Mulhall Nolan explained that gardaí then went to Mr Scratchley’s apartment, and recovered the bicycle. Mr Scratchley admitted taking it, she added.

“He does that two weeks after I give him a suspended sentence. He should be going into custody...he doesn’t take the advice I give him,” Judge Waters remarked at the outset.

“It was a very serious matter and it was touch and go that I was putting him into prison... one assault left one man very badly affected.”

Solicitor Pat Enright told the Judge he would recall that Mr Scratchley had come before the Court initially with no previous convictions.

“That’s why he got a suspended sentence,” the Judge replied.

“Sometimes it takes awhile for the penny to drop,” Mr Enright said, pointing out that there were no ‘aggravating’ factors in the unlawful taking of the bicycle.

“This is a man who committed a number of very serious offences .... part of the function here is to protect people from him...he had a profound impact on people’s lives...he was given an opportunity but two months later he is willing to go out and steal somebody’s property,” Judge Waters said, adjourning the matter until September 20 on the warning:

“If he commits any offence between now and September 20 he will be doing prison time.”