A mother who went shoplifting with her teenage son on Dublin’s Grafton Street, has been given a final chance to pay compensation.
The Dublin woman, who is in her late 30s, and the co-accused, her 17-year-old son, had pleaded guilty six months ago to theft of razors worth €800 from a Boots shop.
Her son was also caught on another date with a stolen phone. He claimed it belonged to a friend, but as he was questioned by a suspicious garda, the phone began ranging. The officer answered to hear the voice of the phone’s real owner on the other end of the line, the Dublin Children’s Court was told.
The court heard mother and son entered the Boots store on October 9th, 2019 and went to the razor blades section. They concealed razors in bags and in their clothes and left, making no attempt to pay. They were identified from CCTV evidence.
Leniency
The mother had one prior conviction for a not wearing a seat belt. Her solicitor had said her client cared for another child with mental health problems. She was a dedicated mother who until recently had difficulty getting a permanent residence, the solicitor said.
Her family had moved a number of times in recent years, but they hope to remain at their current address in Dublin for a longer period.
She was apologetic, the solicitor said, pleading for leniency.
The woman was told she had to stay out of trouble and bring a sum of cash to court. However, when the case resumed, Judge Colin Daly was told the woman did not have any money and needed more time.
Defence solicitor Ruth Walsh explained that her client’s family had recent bereavements which resulted in her having to use her money to help cover funeral costs.
Judge Daly adjourned the case for finalisation in April.
Brown Thomas jacket
Her son, and co-defendant, was sentenced to 12 months’ supervised probation last year. He had also pleaded guilty to the same charge, and 15 other offences committed over a 12-month period.
He had no prior criminal convictions.
He was caught with the stolen phone worth €1,000 at Parnell Street on June 11 in 2019.
During a public order offence he was heavily intoxicated and called gardaí “f***ing scumbags”.
The teen stole €280 worth of sunglasses and a €825 jacket from Brown Thomas in Dublin. He was also found with a stolen bicycle.
