Woman given suspended sentence for shoplifting in Louth

A 25 year-old woman who admitted a series of shoplifting offences in Dundalk and Drogheda, was given a two month suspended sentence at Dundalk district court last week for one of the theft charges.

The court heard Sharon McDonagh who had an address at the time at Cluskey’s Accommodation Centre, Carrick Road, Dundalk was one of two women who had entered a Centra in Dundalk and took three cans of Red Bull and a hairbrush, total value €10.95.

She was one of three who removed groceries worth €149 from Centra, Ballsgrove in Drogheda and was with a male and two other women, in TK Maxx in Drogheda when €675 worth of property was stolen - although €450-worth of the goods were recovered.

All of the offending occurred in September last year. The court heard the defendant had previous convictions for theft.

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After Judge Nicola Andrews noted that community service orders don’t seem to have had an effect, the Defence solicitor stressed that her client had a troubled family background.

She had been homeless for a time before her mother secured accommodation for the family and has engaged with services for anger management.

Judge Andrews told Ms McDonagh "You must pay before you leave a shop. It’s a simple concept” and imposed a two month sentence, which she suspended for two years for the TK Maxx charge.

The rest were taken into consideration. However, the judge warned that if she comes before her during the currency of the suspended sentence "I will send you straight into custody".