Man with 450 previous convictions jailed for stealing from Marks & Spencer
Damian Young (59) of no fixed abode was charged with stealing £22 of items from the shop in Foyleside on July 8
A man with 450 previous convictions has been jailed at Derry Magistrates' Court for stealing from Marks & Spencer.
Damian Young (59) of no fixed abode was charged with stealing £22 of items from the shop in Foyleside on July 8.
Police were called by the manager of Marks & Spencer after Young had been detained by shopping centre security.
They said that he had been seen by staff to be taking items and putting them into his pockets.
Upon police arrival, Young began behaving in a disorderly manner, ignoring police requests to stop before being arrested.
When interviewed, he claimed to have been intoxicated at the time and did not remember the incident.
Young had 86 previous convictions for disorderly behavior and 22 for theft.
Defence Barrister Graine McAnaney said that Young had struggled with alcohol addiction for most of his adult life, adding that he 'often brings himself to the attention of police' when intoxicated.
She said that he is a 'very vulnerable member of society' but that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
District Judge Conor Heaney called Young's situation 'very, very depressing', sentencing him to four months in custody.