Woman before the court on thefts of groceries worth over €3K from Longford shops

A 34 year old woman has appeared before Longford District Court charged with multiple counts of thefts, alleged to have occurred over a variety of dates. These include groceries from Lidl worth a total of €1,349, groceries worth €1,033 from Dealz, and groceries valued at €620 from Tesco Shopping Centre.

In addition to the theft charges - the overall total of which is in excess of €3,000 - 34 year old Helen Doyle of 25 Ard na Greine Cavan and 2 Elizabeth Court Apartments in Bundoran, Donegal, also stands accused of intoxication in a public place.

Doyle appeared before Judge Bernadette Owens and was represented in court was barrister, Ross Nestor.

Court Sergeant Mark Mahon said his application on the matter would be to remand the accused in custody until the following week as he understood there were further charges coming.

He added there was also a “co-accused in relation to some of the matters” who would be back before the court in the next hearing.

The most recent of the current charges arose from October 21 last, one of which alleges she was intoxicated in a public place, namely the car park of Aldi situated on the Athlone Road in Longford, while a second charge alleges the theft of groceries to the value of €70.30, also from Aldi. This charge was addressed in court with Doyle submitting a plea of guilty.

In addition, Doyle was charged with the theft of €196.39 worth of groceries from Tesco Shopping Centre on September 19 this year. She is also alleged to have stolen groceries worth €496.70 from Dealz on Market Square two days earlier on September 14..

A charge relating to the day prior, September 13, alleges she stole groceries to the value of €370.50 from Lidl on the Dublin Road in Longford.

A charge for September 9 concerns the theft of groceries worth €169.25 from Dunnes Stores on the Dublin Road, Longford, while a separate charge for September 8 accuses Doyle of having stolen groceries worth €157.10.

She faces another charge of the theft of €276 worth of groceries from Dealz on Market Square on September 6, and groceries worth €260, also from Dealz, on September 1.

Doyle is also alleged to have stolen groceries to the value of €191.45 a day earlier on August 31 at Lidl on the Dublin Road, Longford while two charges arising from August 22 also from Lidl accuse Doyle of having stolen groceries worth €124.88, and separately groceries worth €204.70.

She is charged with the theft of groceries worth €50 from Homesavers in the N4 Axis Centre on July 23 as well as the theft of groceries worth €200 from Lidl in Longford on July 19.

A charge arising from July 6 at Tesco Shopping Centre alleges Doyle stole Febreze Fabric Refresher to the value of €66, while a charge arising from the day prior, July 5, alleges the theft of groceries worth €357.50, also from Tesco Shopping Centre.

Judge Owens directed a probation report for the accused and remanded her in custody with the instruction to appear before the court on November 3.