Portlaoise Court: Local woman with 95 previous convictions jailed for thefts
Portlaoise Courthouse
DISTRICT Court Judge Andrew Cody said he had a duty to protect businesses in Portlaoise, when he sentenced a 39-year old woman to five months in prison for shoplifting.
Theresa Conroy from 7 Green Mill Lane, Portlaoise was before the local court on charges of thefts of items from Colgan Sports, Main Street, Portlaoise totalling €242 on 11 and 13 June, as well as the theft of food items, clothing and shower gel worth €101 from Household Direct, Mountmellick Road, Portlaoise on 16 June.
She had previously been before the court and had pleaded guilty to the charges.
At that sitting, her barrister Andrew Dunne said his client had been on a methadone programme at the time of the offences but had difficulties obtaining it from a pharmacy and suffered withdrawal symptoms.
“When she couldn’t get her methadone, she went out and committed the offences,” he said.
Judge Cody had remanded Ms Conroy in custody and asked the prosecuting garda, Rebecca Gavin, to confirm whether the defendant had difficulty accessing her methadone at the time she carried out the offences.
When the case returned to court, Judge Cody told Mr Dunne: “I’ll give her the option. Go for treatment or go to prison.”
Mr Dunne replied: “She said she’ll leave that in the court’s hands.”
“We’ll be back here again in three months’ time if she doesn’t get treatment for her habit,” said the judge.
“She’s back on the methadone now,” said Mr Dunne.
The court heard that Ms Conroy had 95 previous convictions that included 81 for theft as well as burglaries, robberies and attempted robberies. It also heard that, between 2003 and 2005, Ms Conroy was convicted on 39 theft-related offences and a total of 51 theft-related offences in a 10-month period between 2023 and 2024
“I gave her the option and she refused treatment,” said Judge Cody.
“I have to protect the businesses in this town from such crimes. Given the history of her offending, a custodial sentence has to be imposed because she refused treatment.”
He went on to impose five-month sentences in respect of each of the three charges, to run concurrently.
Judge Cody also noted that Ms Conroy had allegedly breached a two-year nine-month suspended sentence that had been imposed on 17 October last year. He remanded her in custody until 24 July to consider sentencing in that case.
