Thief put phone chargers down his trousers
The Mr Price store in Carlow
A MAN who stole phone chargers from a discount store was ordered to pay compensation when he appeared before Carlow District Court last week.
Noel Byrne, 23 Riverbank, Poachers Gate, Carlow was up for separate charges of trespass and theft.
The court heard that on 19 September 2024, Mr Byrne was captured on CCTV stealing mobile phone chargers worth €59.97 from Mr Price, Kennedy Avenue, Carlow, concealing one in his pocket and putting the other two down his trousers.
Relating to the separate charge of trespassing, Garda Shields observed the 27-year-old “acting suspiciously” on another date, spending 15 minutes in a parked car outside Central Engineering Ltd on O’Brien Road.
The court heard Mr Byrne has 28 previous convictions, including 22 for theft.
His most recent theft conviction was from 22 January 2020, for which he completed community service in lieu of a four-month prison sentence.
His most recent non-theft charge was for intoxication on 1 November 2023.
Defending solicitor Chris Hogan told the court his client suffers from cocaine addiction and is now attending Narcotics Anonymous.
He described the theft as “at the lower end of the scale” and said his client had brought monetary compensation to court.
Judge Patricia Cronin ordered Mr Byrne to pay €59.97 compensation to Mr Price and directed him to submit to urine analysis. The judge noted the defendant had spent six weeks in custody and had no further issues since his release in November 2024.
The case was adjourned to 7 May for a probation report, with Mr Byrne remanded on bail.
