Karim Haddouche (49) as 16 previous convictions, all of which are related to his previous theft from Ulster Banwas last year given a three-year suspended sentence in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for stealing €15,000 from the same bank in January 2017.
The garda investigation into the €45,000 theft – which occurred during the same period between November 2016 and January 2017 – was only concluded after he was given a suspended sentence last July. He was arrested on these latest charges in October last year.
Judge Martin Nolan, who sentenced Haddouche last July, said he did not believe he would have handed down a suspended sentence if he had known about the additional €45,000 theft.
“I think if I had heard the matters together, I wouldn't have dealt with it by way of of a suspended sentence,” he told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today/yesterday (MONDAY).
“He stole to feed his gambling habit,” the judge said, handing down an 18-month sentence.
Haddouche, of Victoria Street, Portobello, Dublin pleaded guilty to three counts of stealing cash and three counts of deception at Ulster Bank, Camden Street between November 23rd, 2016 and January 11th, 2017.
He has 16 previous convictions, all of which are related to his previous theft from Ulster Bank.
Garda Niall Godfrey told the court that Haddouche lodged cheques in his Ulster Bank account which were from his Permanent TSB account. He did so knowing that these cheques could not be cleared as he did not have sufficient funds.
He then withdrew the money from Ulster Bank before the cheques were processed.
Defence barrister, David Staunton BL, said it was a “crude” operation. He said Haddouche was a gambler who, at the time of the offending, travelled regularly to the Ukraine to visit casinos.
He is a chef who is originally from Algeria and his father, who still lives there, died recently.
Mr Staunton urged Judge Nolan not to impose a custodial sentence, saying Haddouche had
