Serial thief roamed country stealing tools from work vans, court told‘

A man described as a serial thief was slammed by a judge last week for stealing a toolbox full of power tools from a tradesman’s van—robbing the victim of his ability to earn a living.

The theft, which occurred on May 2, 2023, was heard before Judge Ciaran Liddy at Carrick-on-Shannon District Court on June 24. The court was told that the victim had parked his work van overnight and in the morning discovered his toolbox was missing, and although a stolen laptop was later recovered, it had been damaged beyond repair.

Gardaí later arrested the defendant—Stefan Scurtu, 44, Glasnevin, Dublin 16, —and recovered several of the stolen items. The impact on the victim, however, was significant.

“This wasn’t just a simple theft,” said the sergeant. “This man lost his tools—his means of making a living.”

Judge Liddy echoed that sentiment, calling the crime “opportunistic and nasty,” adding that the theft had clearly targeted a working man and caused real disruption to his livelihood.

The court was also told that Scurtu has an extensive criminal history. In April 2025, he was convicted of four theft charges in Portlaoise, and in February, he received a one year and nine month sentence for 17 theft offences in Tralee, due to begin in August 2025. He has also served time in Castlerea Prison.

“It appears this man is travelling the country committing thefts,” the Garda sergeant told the court.

Before sentencing could proceed, Judge Liddy asked Gardaí to confirm whether Scurtu was on bail at the time of the Carrick-on-Shannon offence.

The sergeant told the court the tools stolen were essential to the victim’s work, listing “impact drivers, batteries, cordless drills, angle grinders, and saws”—tools that “would all need to be replaced in order for him to carry out his work.”

Judge Liddy noted the seriousness of the offence: “It’s not just a simple theft—it’s taking away a man's ability to earn a living.”

Scurtu was sentenced to 10 months in prison, to run consecutively to his existing sentence.