Navan man on crime spree

A 33-year-old man from Navan engaged in a crime spree involving the stealing of groceries and meat products from Aldi stores and failing to pay for services earlier this year. He failed to pay for a taxi running up a bill of €35.

The spree resulted in a total loss of €900 to the store owners and taxi driver, Trim District Court heard.

David Briggs from Canterbrook, Trim Road, Navan pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the offences at two Aldi stores over the space of four days, twice stealing in March from the same store in Navan, and once from the other in Kells. The incident involving the taxi driver took place a month earlier in Navan.

Barrister Paul Noctor said that the defendant suffered from an alcohol addiction and was to undertake ten months of treatment in Scotland the following week. He said the defendant was not working. He would be willing to pay compensation after his treatment.

Sergeant Alan Ratcliff told that €900 was owed as a result of the thefts and the defendant making off without payment of the fare.

The Sergeant outlined that two of the incidents took place at Aldi, Brews Hill, Navan on March 16 and 18 last. In one instance the defendant stole €342 worth of meat products.

The other date he also stole meat products to the value of €180 from the store.

A third incident took place at Aldi at Cavan Road, Kells, on March 19 when the defendant left without paying for €417 worth of groceries.

None of the property was recovered in any of the incidents.

The Sergeant further outlined that the incident involving the non payment of the taxi fare took place on February 22. A taxi man called to Navan Garda Station on the date with the defendant to say the defendant didn’t pay a fare of €35.

The defendant told the injured party that he didn’t have the money for the fare.

Sergeant Ratcliffe said the defendant had eight previous convictions for offences which included theft.

Judge Eirinn McKiernan indicated she wanted compensation to be paid.

She put the case back to July 7 to see the defendant went into treatment. She remanded him on bail.