Pleading ignorance worked wonders for a rather eccentric musician who told a district court judge that he put a bottle of wine in his jacket pocket because he had no basket and then simply forgot about it.
“Hands up,” Flan Fox immediately replied when asked to enter a plea at Galway District Court this week. Fox (57 ) with an address at 8 Ashford Court, Headford but formerly of Flag Road, Miltown Malbay, Clare, pleaded guilty to the theft of a bottle of white wine, worth €5.95, at Dunnes Stores, Edward Square, on May 14, 2007.
Inspector Ernie White told the court that the defendant had been arrested on foot of bench warrant after he failed to appear in court.
“I couldn’t turn up because I was in hospital with a serious problem,” said Fox.
The inspector then explained that the defendant had entered Dunnes Stores at 6.40pm, put a bottle of wine in his jacket, and made no effort to pay for it. He added that the defendant had no previous convictions.
“I bought one. I didn’t have a basket and couldn’t carry the other one,” Fox explained.
“Was it a buy one get one free?” asked an amused Judge Mary Fahy.
“I put the wine in my pocket and forgot about it. Most people wouldn’t believe me,” said the defendant who added that he was a travelling musician and had no clue why he had not turned up in court but that it might be because he had broken his leg.
Judge Fahy advised the defendant to be more careful in future and that he must pay for his wine.
“I keep telling myself that,” said Fox before receiving the benefit of the Probation Act Section 1(1 ).
