A Limerick mother of one, with 108 previous convictions, cheekily stole more than €2,000 worth of clothes and jewellery from a city centre retail store and then damaged nearly €500 of her loot by taking security tags off, the Galway District Court heard this week.
Mary Ryan (26 ) with an address at 17 Sharwood Estate, Newcastle West, Limerick, was brought in custody before Judge Mary Fahy on Monday and pleaded guilty to theft and criminal damage at Debenhams.
The court heard that at 6.10pm on March 13 last gardai were called to the store where the defendant was being detained by security staff. The gardai were informed that Ryan had attempted to leave the store with €2,275 worth of clothing and jewellery. The court also heard that damage of €490 worth had been caused to some items of clothing after Ryan had tried to take off the security tags.
The court then heard that Ryan had 108 previous convictions with a 10 month sentence imposed for theft and suspended for 10 months.
Explaining Ryan’s circumstance, defence solicitor Adrian MacLynn said that her husband had been killed in a car crash last year and that she is the mother of a three-year-old child. He added that she was also on medication.
Judge Fahy remanded Ryan in custody to appear at Limerick District Court on Tuesday (March 16 ) where the issue of reactivation of the suspended sentence will be addressed. Once this is done it is expected that Ryan will be returned to Galway District Court for these latest theft matters to be finalised.
