A 21-year-old man who lifted a jacket from a nightclub in Belmullet, which he assumed belonged to his friend, faced prosecution of theft at Ballina District Court this week.
Eamon Mongey, Ballymoate, Co Sligo, was identified on CCTV removing a jacket belonging to Mr Paul Hughes, another patron in the Anchor nightclub, Belmullet, on December 19.
According to the owner of the jacket, there were two Nokia phones valued at €300 and reading glasses valued at €210 in the coat’s pockets. All property was recovered apart from the glasses.
Mongey told the court that he was drunk when the incident happened and he unintentionally lifted the jacket as he thought it was his friend’s. The defendant who has no previous convictions and is employed and an apprentice electrician on the Corrib Gas site, has since written a letter of apology. The reason, according to the defendant, that he had not made any efforts to return the jacket and the contents to the rightful owner was that soon after the incident he returned home for the Christmas holidays.
Judge Mary Devins asked Superintendent Michael Larkin why a theft prosecution was brought against Mongey for “me to give him a slap on the wrists” if it was the belief that the wrong jacket was taken, however Supt Larkin said that it was believed that he intentionally went to steal the jacket.
Judge Devins asked that Mongey contribute €300 to the Ballyglass Lifeboat.
