A Romanian man, who was caught drilling holes in the back of a parking meter to siphon money from its collection box, was sentenced to six months in prison at the holiday sittings of Galway District Court yesterday.
Vasile Sabadas (26 ), with addresses in Collins Avenue, Dublin, and Sallins, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to causing €5,790 worth of damage to the pay parking machine, which belongs to Galway City Council, at the Docks, Galway, on June 22 last.
Inspector Sean Glynn said two eyewitnesses saw Sabadas and a co-accused, who had not been dealt with yet, using a drill to try to gain access to money stored at the rear of a parking meter at the docks. He said the machine needed to be replaced at a cost of €5,250, while its installation would cost a further €540.
Gardaí found Sabadas a short time later in a car with the drill which had been used to damage the machine.
Defence solicitor Olivia Traynor said her client had been living in Ireland for three years and he had been in custody since his arrest on the night of the offence. She said his friends were en route from Naas with €2,000 compensation.
Judge Eamon O’Brien sentenced Sabadas to six months in prison and granted leave to appeal. He backdated the sentence to June 21.
