A 20-year-old Lithuanian man who went on a robbery spree in Carlow earlier this year received a six month sentence in St Patrick’s Institution at Carlow District Court this week.
Edgaras Dauzinskas with addresses at 12 Royal Apartments and 6 River Bank, Poachers Gate, Carlow appeared in front of Judge William Harnett on five charges of theft dating back to April.
Superintendent Pat Kavanagh told the court that a number of items were stolen in the spree including two tracksuit bottoms, a nailgun and two bottles of vodka.
The court heard that on April 28, 2008 at EPT in the Kernanstown Industrial Estate, Mr Dauzinskas took a Paslode nail gun to the value of €500 from the tool store and left the premises without paying.
On June 30, Mr Dauzinskas was caught stealing a bottle of Smirnoff vodka worth €29.95 from Rath’s convenience store on the Pollerton Road. On August 8, at the Click store in the Fairgreen, Mr Dauzinskas took a display model laptop made by Hewlett Packard and valued at €1,000 and left the store.
On August 7, Mr Dauzinskas stole a bottle of Smirnoff vodka from Dunne’s Stores in the Barrow Valley retail park worth €29.95. And on September 4, Mr Dauzinskas took two tracksuit bottoms and two sweaters worth €180 from Lifestyle Sports in the Barrow Valley retail park without paying.
Superintendent Kavanagh told the court that only one bottle of vodka was recovered and all other stolen items were still at large. Acting for the defence, solicitor John O Sullivan said his client had come to Ireland less than two years ago and seemed to be on his own in this country.
“There may be others involved in this who are not here, but Mr Dauzinskas is here and he has been in trouble before. He came to this country shortly after finishing secondary school which is about 18-months ago and has worked on the buildings and in factories since,” said Mr O Sullivan. “There may be addiction problems here,” he added.
Judge Harnett agreed. “When drink is stolen there is usually a drink problem,” he said. Sentencing Mr Dauzinskas to six-months imprisonment on one charge, Judge Harnett added a further four concurrent sentences of six months, two months and two sets of 30 days.
He also issued a five month sentence to be carried out at the end of the six months but suspended it for 18-months.
“If this man is to have any chance, the probation service must query what it is his addiction is,” he said.
