A LIMERICK woman has attributed significant pressure arising from family members involved in criminality as being what led to her own drug use.
27-year-old Mary Delaney, with an address at McGarry House, St Alphonsus Street, appeared before Limerick District Court charged with three counts of theft and shoplifting as well as one count of public order and misuse of drugs.
Ms Delaney was stopped by a member of An Garda Síochána out on patrol when she was seen acting suspiciously in a city centre laneway on April 30.
She was subsequently searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act where a brown substance was recovered, later identified as diamorphine to the value of €10.
- External Walls: Up to €8,000 Grant
- Attic: Up to €1,500 Grant
- Cavity Walls: Up to €1,700 Grant
- Internal Dry Lining: Up to €4,500 Grant
On May 1 this year, the accused was found in the early hours of the morning with €2 worth of stolen confectionery from Ryan’s Centra on William Street.
Sergeant Aisling O’Neill told the court that, later that morning, a member of the Gardaí approached Ms Delaney outside the Cafe Nero coffee shop on Thomas Street where she became “abusive” and “threatening” to Gardaí.
This incident follows on from a spate of thefts dating back as far as October 2024 where Ms Delaney was identified on CCTV stealing €11.50 worth of Redbull and Lucozade energy drinks at Circle K, Shannonbridge Service Station, on the Dock Road. The accused made no effort to pay for the drinks and the goods were not recovered.
In March 2025, the accused was captured on CCTV stealing curtains worth €60 at Guiney’s department store on William Street in Limerick City. She was identified through CCTV footage and the goods were not recovered.
Last December, she was also seen stealing goods worth €70 at Tesco in Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre. Sergeant O’Neill told the court that CCTV footage obtained from the store identified Ms Delaney taking the goods, making no effort to return them. The goods were not recovered.
She has 11 previous convictions, including assault, failure to appear, misuse of drugs, public order, stolen property, theft, and trespass.
Eight of these charges including failure to appear were imposed during a sitting of the District Court last July.
Solicitor Sarah Ryan said the accused has some family members who are also known to the courts and, previously, Ms Delaney would have assisted Gardaí in relation to their whereabouts.
“She was the one trying to hold it all together, and her drug use stemmed from this pressure,” Ms Ryan told the court.
“She acknowledges that she has reached a low that she wants to come back from,” Ms Ryan said, adding that the aggression displayed by Ms Delaney outside Cafe Nero was due to sickness from drug use and was not present in any prior interactions with Gardaí.
Judge Catherine Ryan said she would take Ms Delaney’s guilty plea into consideration upon sentencing, as well as the difficulties she has faced that led to her drug use and the impact it has had on her behaviour.
She convicted and fined Ms Delaney €100 in relation to the three counts of theft and one count of misuse of drugs.
– Court Reporting Scheme