Andrew Carey
andrew@limerickpost.ie
THOUSANDS of euro have been spent on court and Garda time to prosecute a young woman described as a “hopeless addict” for petty theft offences dating back over six years.
Details of the offences admitted to by the 25-year-old woman came to light last week during a sitting of Limerick District Court when Judge Marian O’Leary was told that Gardaà were executing four bench warrants for the woman who had failed to turn up for court.
On September 7, 2009, Gardaà found the young woman travelling as a passenger in a stolen car. She had no previous convictions at the time.
In the three years that followed, she was involved in a number of petty shoplifting thefts including a €2 fashion ring from Penneys, a gift set from Boots, perfumes from the former Arthur’s Quay pharmacy and a wallet from Brown Thomas.
Solicitor Ted McCarthy, who was assigned as legal aid for the defence, said that the young woman was “a hopeless heroin addict”, who had since come off the drug but was still heavily medicated as she suffered from psychiatric illness and had chronic depression.
The court also heard that the young woman had expressed suicidal ideations in the past but was now living with the support of her father at his home.
Her sister had taken her own life in tragic circumstances and this had a very devastating impact on the young woman’s life.
“She took up with the wrong crowd and ended up on the streets but now she is making her way back and although she is not in a good place yet, she is getting there”, Mr McCarthy told the court.
Judge O’Leary imposed a total of €150 in fines for the thefts and ordered that she pay them within six months or face ten days in prison
