Longford people accused of mobile phone theft following Facebook ads
Two people from Longford appeared in a Mayo court accused of theft of mobile phone which was placed for sale on Facebook
TWO Longford people appeared before a Mayo court charged in connection to the theft of smart phones which were advertised for sale on Facebook.
Thomas Sweeney of Lana Aoibhinn, Longford and Chloe Sweeney also of Lana Aoibhinn, Longford both appeared before Castlebar District Court charged with theft. Mr Sweeney faces two counts of theft relating to alleged incidents on April 3, 2022 and May 5, 2022 while Ms Sweeney is charged with one count of theft relating to an alleged incident on April 3, 2022.
Outlining the allegation against the defendants for jurisdictional purposes, Inspector Ciarán Diffley said a mobile phone was advertised for sale on Facebook for €950 and it is alleged that Mr Sweeney responded to the ad.
It is alleged that on May 5, 2022 Mr Sweeney met with the seller outside an Apace Pizza restaurant and was handed the phone to look at. It is alleged that he then drove off with the phone without paying.
Insp Diffley explained to Judge Vincent Deane that the two defendants are both charged in relation to an alleged same offence on April 3, 2022 when they responded to an ad on Facebook advertising the sale of a Samsung phone worth €400.
It is alleged the defendants met the seller at View Point in Castlebar and after they were given the phone to inspect they drove off without paying.
Judge Deane asked why it had taken so long for the matter to come to court and was informed by Insp Diffley that this was due to difficulty getting subscription information from Facebook as it is based in America.
Due to the ongoing dispute between solicitors and the Department of Justice over legal aid reform, the two defendants were not legally represented in court. As a result, Judge Deane adjourned the matter back to October 7 to decide on jurisdictional purposes.