Man given six-month jail sentence for thefts and criminal damage

A 29-year-old man from Ashbourne facing mainly theft charges and one for criminal damage was sentenced to a total of six months in jail.

Neville Giles of Ashewood Heath, Ashbourne appeared via video link at Trim District Court on Tuesday last having indicated he was pleading guilty to the charges on an earlier date.

The defendant was stated to have 56 previous convictions. His barrister Paul Noctor explained that he had a problem with alcohol.

Several thefts involving the stealing of alcohol were outlined, with the court told that on four occasions he stole drink to a total value of €275 from Tesco in Ashbourne.

He also carried out thefts on dates in March - the same month in Aldi and Lidl Stores. Sergeant Alan Ratcliffe, who related the circumstances of the different offences, told the defendant stole coins to the value of €24 from a car in a driveway on a date in April.

He said the criminal damage concerned the breaking of a window of a coffee shop in Ashbourne on March 24

Judge Eirinn McKiernan took into account the defendant’s early plea and that he had significant previous convictions for similar offences, when imposing consecutive sentences of two months and four months to run consecutively.

She backdated the sentences to when the defendant went into custody which was seven weeks beforehand.