Career criminal' stole from Tullamore store to help pay for father-in-law's funeral

A MAN described by a judge as a “career criminal” stole from a Tullamore store to help fund his father-in-law's funeral, the local District Court was told.

Patrick Doyle (30), Tara Lawns, Belcamp Lane, Coolock, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the theft of €522 worth of batteries from Homesavers, Cloncollig on January 30 last.

Sergeant Richard Thornton told Judge Andrew Cody that at 12.50pm on that date two men were seen fleeing the scene on foot and it was captured on CCTV.

Sergeant Thornton said Doyle had 27 previous convictions, the majority of which were for theft but he had also been convicted before of road traffic offences, driving without insurance and criminal damage. He had been sentenced to prison.

The man's solicitor, Patrick Martin, who formally entered the guilty plea, said his client was a resident of Dublin and his father-in-law had passed away a few days before the crime.

Doyle came to Tullamore to visit relative and stole to help pay for the funeral. Furthermore, the accused's wife had suffered a miscarriage. The solicitor said the man's previous offending went back three years.

Since then he had been keeping his head down and in this case he made admissions to the gardai and the stolen property was recovered.

Judge Cody said: “Mr Doyle is a career criminal at this stage.”

He sentenced him to four months in prison and would not accede to Mr Martin's request for a suspension of the term.

Judge Cody did fix recognisances for an appeal at €400 and €400 in his own bond and also refused to reduce those amounts, saying they were appropriate in this case.