Judge John Neilan recalled a moment from his own youth when a man appeared in court accompanied by his three-year-old son.
Grzegorz Mazan of 6 Auburn Avenue stood beside his solicitor Mr Louis Kiernan while his son was given a pen and paper to draw on.
The judge took the opportunity to remember an incident where a client came to his father at their family home to have a will made.
The will was later authenticated and when the man returned home, he left it on his dining room table, where his grandchild drew on it.
“It didn’t go down well at the probate office,” chuckled the judge, before he heard the details of the case involving Mr Mazan stealing a Playstation game of Virtual Tennis worth more than €50 at Tesco in July.
Damage was also done to security tags.
Mr Kiernan said his client greatly regretted the incident, which occurred when he had taken alcohol. He had been given the opportunity of an adult caution but was not sober enough to realise the significance of that and was difficult with Gardaí.
Judge Neilan expressed his concerns for the little boy “presently signing some document for Mr Kiernan” regarding his father’s use of alcohol. He said it struck him “forcibly” that Mr Mazan had been under the influence of alcohol and this didn’t suggest that he had much respect for his partner or much interest in the welfare of his child.
Giving him the benefit of the Probation Act because he has no previous convictions, Judge Neilan warned “Every cent that comes into your home is for the bread, butter, and welfare of that little person there”.
