A man was given a 15-month prison term for stealing a purse from a 78-year-old lady that contained €2, reports RTE.
Michael McDonagh, 58, of Kylemore Avenue, Ballyfermot, Dublin, entered a guilty plea to one count of stealing at an Applegreen petrol station in Dublin 8 on November 9, 2020, according to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
McDonagh has been convicted 83 times before, reports RTE.
“Two men accosted this woman, and she was menaced,” Judge Martin Nolan said as he handed down the punishment.
He claimed that McDonagh has a lengthy history of homelessness and criminal activity, reports RTE.
Judge Nolan stated that the defendant had pleaded guilty and shown regret. The statement “It seems he is doing quite well now” was also made by him. He also came to terms with the fact that there was no violence.
The defendant was ordered to “endure a custodial term” and McDonagh was given a 15-month prison sentence.
Jennifer Jackson, BL, prosecuting, was informed by a local garda that they had been notified of a theft on the specified day, reports RTE.
The 78-year-old woman had been robbed and her purse stolen, according to the gardaí when they arrived.
After watching CCTV footage, gardaí on patrol were given a description of the two males, reports RTE.
The woman had gone back to her house, the court was informed.
She was in shock when the gardaí came and was unable to speak at that moment, reports RTE.
According to the woman, two males came up to her and demanded her handbag. Only €2 was in the handbag that McDonagh and his co-accused grabbed.
A few minutes afterward, gardaí observed a man who fit McDonagh’s description removing his jacket, reports RTE.
He was taken into custody, arrested, and subjected to two interviews. The woman refused to give the court a victim impact statement.
The garda concurred with Anne Fitzgibbons, BL, who defended her client’s status as a chronic alcoholic who has since had treatment and transformed into a different person, reports RTE.
The garda also concurred with the attorney that McDonagh was quite drunk at the time of his arrest and that two visits to the doctor were necessary to evaluate him. The guilty plea was valuable, he agreed.
According to Ms. Fitzgibbons, her client was “tipping or begging outside the service station” on the particular day and had been homeless for ten to fifteen years, reports RTE.
According to counsel, her client now receives accommodation through “Housing First” and interacts with support staff every day, who were there in court.
McDonagh is regretful and ashamed of what he did, she claimed.
Ms. Fitzgibbons added that since he started residential treatment in 2023, he has not been in contact with the gardaí, reports RTE.
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