Man is jailed for theft at charity and flower shops

A MAN who broke into the NCBI charity shop and told a collection box containing €108 was sentenced to four months in prison by Judge John Cheatle at Wexford District Court.

Graham Hurley of 10 Tower Court, Westgate pleaded guilty to the offence which took place at South Main Street on October 17.

He also admitted a charge of entering Slaney Flowers at Commercial Quay on October 18 to commit theft and stealing property valued at €250 from a parked bus belonging Wexford Bus at Westgate on October 14.

Prosecuting sergeant Victor Isdell told the court that in the Slaney Flowers burglary captured on CCTV and investigated by Garda Michael Carroll, the defendant entered the shop at 3 a.m. by breaking glass in the front door, causing €400 worth of damage before taking €90 in cash and a laptop valued at €400. The laptop was recovered and returned to the owner.

Glass was also smashed in the NCBI burglary which was also recorded on CCTV.

Sergeant Isdell said the defendant had 99 previous convictions, 40 of which were under the Theft Act, the most recent being earlier in May of this year when he was given a sentence of four months in prison, suspended for 12 months.

Ed King, solicitor said unfortunately the defendant has had no chance in life, having been brought up in circumstances of addiction and has been in trouble since he was 13 years old.

He has his own addiction issues but has never received residential treatment, with a pattern of being sentenced, getting out and getting into trouble again.

Mr. King handed in a letter from the Cornmarket Project with which he had been engaging but unfortunately he had fallen off the wagon. He said the offences took place within a four-day period and it was mostly alcohol that was involved.

The solicitor also handed in a letter from the defendant who was described as a 34-years-old father of five children ranging in age from 16 down to seven years and had the support of his wife.

Mr. King said he was fully aware that he was facing a sentence and had asked in the letter to get into a rehab centre on his release in order to ‘address his addiction in a meaningful way’.

‘He is now 20 years in the criminal system. When he is sober he is contrite and is aware of his offencing behaviour,’ said Mr. King. ‘He is not under any illusion that he is escaping a sentence but I would ask you to structure it in such a way that there is light at the end of the tunnel,’ he said.

Judge Cheatle said he was impressed by the defendant’s letter and he was taking into account the circumstances outlined by Mr. King.

He sentenced the defendant to four months in prison backdated to October 19 and activated the four month sentence from May, to run concurrent, on the Wexford Bus charge.

On the NCBI charge, he imposed a sentence of six months in prison, suspended for 12 months on him entering into a supervision bond.