“I COULD be here for the next hour,” a prosecuting Garda Sergeant told a Judge when he was attempting to list a defendant’s previous prosecutions.
Garda Sgt Damien Prendergast told Judge Edward Carroll at Galway District Court that Caroline O’Brien, who is homeless and resides in Osterley Lodge, had 121 previous convictions, 47 of which were for theft.
She was in custody on the shoplifting charge before the Court. She had taken goods to the value of €67 and €22 on two separate dates, June 13 and 16, from Dunnes Stores, and the property was not recovered. She had failed to turn up at Derrynea Court on June 16.
Sean Acton solr (defending ) said his client was 45 and the mother of seven children. Because of her chronic alcoholism she had lost her family and her health and now she had chronic liver failure.
He said his client was in a “vicious circle” going from homelessness to prison.
Her most recent conviction was on May 26 when she received a custodial sentence, Sgt Prendergast said, and viewing the list of her previous convictions he told the Judge he could be there all day outlining them.
Judge Carroll asked when imposing sentence “what’s the alternative here?” and imposed two months in prison on one of the charges and the second was taken into account. The sentence was backdated to the day she first went into custody on these latest charges.
