Drunken men stole two bank cards from Birr Castle Estate Office

TWO men were convicted of theft from Birr Castle Estate Office during the January 14 sitting of Tullamore District Court.

Before the court were Hubert Krepski, 7 Eden Road, Birr and Valerii Vitkovshyi, Apartment 1, Emmet St, Birr. They were charged with stealing two bank cards in the Estate Office on either July 14 or July 15, 2025.

Mr Krepski, 46, was charged with using one of the cards in the Bank of Ireland ATM, Emmet Square, Birr to steal €1500.

Mr Vitkovshyi, 68, was also charged with stealing a bottle of vodka from a local store on July 16, 2025.

Sergeant Brendan Kearns told the court that on Monday, July 14, the grounds of Birr Castle Demesne had closed to the public when Mr Krepski, Mr Vitkovshyi, and a third man gained access to the Estate Office and carried out their theft.

The cards belonged to someone working in the castle. The Sergeant said that the defendants returned €1010 of the €1500 to the injured party.

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Mr Krepski had four previous convictions including possession of knives, theft and possession of drugs.

The defending solicitor Patrick Martin told the court that Mr Krepski and Mr Vitkovshyi had been “drinking in the Castle grounds and got locked in. They sought shelter in the Estate Office where they saw the cards.”

Judge Cody told Mr Martin that he didn't believe this story, calling it “fairytales, gibberish and rubbish.”

Mr Martin said the three men were “very drunk” when the crime happened. He said Mr Krepski is single and not working. “My client accepts he has alcohol issues and he apologises for what happened. They were extremely drunk that evening and deeply regretted the crime the next day.”

Aisling Maloney, defending solicitor for Mr Vitkovshyi, said her client had been drinking in the grounds of Birr Castle Demesne with the other two men.

“Because of the amount he drank he doesn't have much recollection of what happened .” Mr Vitkovshyi was not working, she said. “He has been living in Ireland for three years.”

Judge Cody ordered that Mr Krepski carry out 40 hours of community service in lieu of four months imprisonment.

He sentenced Mr Vitkovshyi to four months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

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