A pregnant woman who tried shoplifting by deception was given the benefit of the Probation Act in the District Court last week after the judge heard it was her first conviction for theft.
Inspector Aidan Minnock told the court how Mary McDonagh (28 ), of Cluan Ard, Ballybrit, Galway was arrested in the afternoon of November 27 when store security called gardaí to Penneys in Golden Island after they had caught McDonagh changing price tags on a number of items, worth €52 in total.
The inspector told the court that though McDonagh had 11 previous convictions, they were all for road traffic offences.
In her defence, Ms Gráinne O’Neill told the court her client was a mother of three, aged from seven down, and “is expecting number four”.
“She couldn’t afford all the items on her list and succumbed to temptation,” she said.
Judge David Anderson accepted this and handed down McDonagh the lightest available sanction.
