Man jailed for 11 months over thefts offences at Kildare Village

A 34-year-old man was jailed for committing thefts at the Kildare Village Retail Outlet.

Hocine Boulanouar, with an address listed as The White House, Castle Street in Roscrea, County Tipperary, but who is currently in custody, was convicted of the offence by Judge Desmond Zaidan.

Gardaí present in Naas District Court on Thursday, February 15 last, told the judge that Mr Boulanouar, along with another man, had stolen around €1,850.97 worth of clothes from two separate stores in Kildare Village on October 6 last.

Gardaí alleged that he was accompanied by a separate man, who was not present before the court, and as such, the judge issued a bench warrant against the man.

Mr Boulanouar pleaded guilty to the thefts.

The court was told that Mr Boulanouar has 12 previous convictions, one of which is for a theft offence.

Defending solicitor Joe Coonan told Judge Zaidan that his client is an asylum seeker, who originally hails from Algeria.

"He is deeply ashamed of what he has done and only did it out of desperation," Mr Coonan told the judge.

Judge Desmond Zaidan imposed the custodial sentence on Mr Boulanoaur.

However, Judge Zaidan rejected this plea of mitigation: "If he was caught stealing groceries or food, that may be true, but he targeted shops with (well-known) brand names."

"He knew exactly what he was doing," he added.

The judge also pointed to the total value of the good stolen, and the man's previous convictions.

Referring to the latter point, the judge said: "That is telling me that he is abusing the hospitality given by the Irish people.

"As an asylum seeker, there are services in place to help him (if he is struggling financially)."

Mr Coonan said that his client was willing to make a charitable donation as a gesture of remorse, but Judge Zaidan rejected this defence.

The judge told Mr Coonan that while he noted the man's personal circumstances, he would impose a custodial sentence on his client.

Mr Boulanouar was sentenced to serve a total of 11 months in prison.

Judge Zaidan set appeal at €400.

For further information about services which help to protect and promote the rights of asylum seekers, please visit https://doras.org/ or https://www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie/.