Galway man fined €7,000 for theft offences committed in Kildare Village Retail Outlet
GUILTY PLEAS
A resident of County Galway was fined €7,000 for theft offences he committed in the Kildare Village Retail Outlet.
Alexandru Varga, with an address listed as 56 Cairéal Mór, Headford Road, County Galway, admitted to the offences when he appeared before Judge Desmond Zaidan on Thursday, July 4 at Naas District Court.
The court was told that on April 24, 2022, the 39-year-old went into a number of shops in Kildare Village and stole around €2,059.33 worth of items from seven different stores.
Mr Vargu was stopped and detained by security working in Kildare Village, and it was heard that all items were recovered.
Garda Sergeant David Hanrahan told the court that while had had no previous convictions for theft at the time of the offence, he had garnered two post convictions for theft offences committed in Galway in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Sgt Hanrahan also pointed out that Mr Varga was co-operative with gardaí.
Defending solicitor David Powderly highlighted his client's guilty pleas to Judge Zaidan.
He said that his client was a married man and a father of three children.
David Powderly was the solicitor who defended Mr Vargu. File photo.
He further said that his client has since found employment and suggested to the judge to deal with the matter by way of a fine.
In addition, Mr Powderly pointed to the fact that the stolen items were recovered.
Judge Zaidan responded that shoplifting costs shops money, and noted a number of past shoplifting incidents which have occurred at Kildare Village.
"He doesn't seem to have learned his lesson," he said, and added that Mr Vargu's two post convictions were 'aggravating features' in his case.
"There has to be a sting in the tail," the judge further said.
He ultimately decided not to impose a custodial sentence on Mr Vargu, and instead imposed a €7,000 fine on Mr Vargu for the thefts, as the thefts occurred in seven different shops.
Judge Zaidan gave Mr Vargu six months to pay the fine.
Mr Vargu thanked the judge for his decision.