Woman jailed over Laois ‘crime spree’
The woman had been banned from shops in Portlaoise
A court was told a woman who was banned from shops in Portlaoise over a “crime spree” began offending in Portarlington and Mountmellick.
Theresa Conroy (37) of 7 Green Mill Lane, Portlaoise who was facing 41 theft charges had previously been banned from all shops except one convenience store in Portlaoise.
“By my count there are 41 charges before the court and this can only be described as a crime spree,” said Judge Andrew Cody.
He said when she was banned from shops in Portlaoise “she proceeded to go to Portarlington and Mountmellick”.
He said the woman had pleaded guilty to 40 counts of theft. He noted she had been on bail and temporary release from prison when she was alleged to have stolen alcohol valued at €37.50 from the Carryout, Mountmellick Road, Portlaoise on April 21, 2024.
In relation to 39 theft charges dating back to November 2023, Judge Cody said “she was granted bail on three occasions and continued to offend while on bail.”
“The offending just continued and continued and continued,” he said.
He noted the woman had 44 previous convictions dating back to 2003 and while there were periods of no offending he said, “she has really gone off the rails in the last three months.”
Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick asked for credit for her early pleas of guilty. She said the woman found her brother who had died alone a week earlier and this had triggered a relapse in drug abuse.
“People were calling to her house threatening her to commit offences to pay her debt,” she explained. She said the woman’s parents are both dead and three of her brothers were heroin addicts and two of them are now dead too.
She said the woman had moved to a different location and “she was quite happy there till she found her brother.”
Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby described it as “a very sad situation” but said “we have a job to do to and we have to protect the businesses of Portlaoise.”
Judge Cody said he took the pleas of guilt in mitigation. He said there were 40 charges to deal with.
“Aldi and Lidl, they were just being hit on a weekly basis,” he said.
In relation to a theft of clothing from Elvery Sports valued at €212.95 he jailed the woman for 12 months. In relation to the theft of €373.02 from Lidl in Portarlington on March 12, 2024 he imposed a 12 month sentence suspended for four years. He took the remaining 38 charges into consideration. He fixed recognisance in case of appeal.