A man who stole a bottle of whiskey from a Ballina shop was convicted and fined at Ballina District Court on Tuesday.
Martin Conroy, 75 Hawthorn Heights, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, stole a bottle of Jack Daniel’s worth €16 from Casey’s Centra, Ballina, at 9.25am on June 29.
The defendant has previous convictions and the court heard that after he was granted station bail he committed a similar offence, for which he has received a short prison sentence.
The married 38-year-old was in Mayo as he had attended his uncle’s anniversary Mass in Ballinrobe. The court heard that Conroy, who has a problem with alcohol, went on a drinking binge with relations.
Judge Patrick Durcan said that when people reach for cereal in the mornings, Conroy was going for Jack Daniel’s.
The judge said that he did not see any point in filling up the prisons, at a cost of €2,000 a week to the taxpayer, for this crime and convicted and fined him €200.
