A JUDGE has told a Dublin man who stole a pedigree puppy in Kilbrittain that it was a ‘mean and rotten’ offence and directed him to stay out of Cork city and county for two years.
Judge James McNulty was hearing the case of Dean Fairbrother (33) at Bandon District Court, where the Dubliner pleaded guilty to the theft of an American bulldog puppy belonging to James Bryan at Bawneigh, Kilbrittain.
Sgt Paul Kelly told the court that the litter of pups was born on September 17th 2021 and they were advertised for sale, at €1,200 each.
‘On December 16th he received a call from a man with a south Dublin accent asking about the puppies. He said he would come and see them and arrived at the property at midnight,’ said Sgt Kelly.
‘Mr Bryan was a small bit suspicious and took a picture of his vehicle. He said he would take one of the puppies and asked him to hold one for him, but Mr Bryan refused to do so.’
Mr Fairbrother left the property, while Mr Bryan locked up his shed with the puppies inside.
‘When he checked the shed the following morning, the puppy which Mr Fairbrother expressed an interest in was gone.
‘Mr Fairbrother then texted Mr Bryan to say he wasn’t interested in buying the puppy anymore.’
Gardaí were notified of the theft and enquiries were carried out which led them to a property in Dublin belonging to Mr Fairbrother’s partner where the puppy was recovered.
Fairbrother was later interviewed but made no admissions about the theft.
Mr Fairbrother has 27 previous convictions, some from outside this jurisdiction including in France and Australia.
The previous convictions include four for theft, five for drug offences and seven for road traffic offences.
‘He has quite a history,’ remarked Judge McNulty.
Solicitor Plunkett Taaffe said his client has suffered addiction issues, exacerbated by underlying mental health issues.
‘He went to Australia and spent time in prison due to drug offences. He came back to Ireland and spent time in custody due to his mental health,’ said Mr Taaffe.
Mr Taaffe added that his client has very little recollection of the events, was under a ‘fierce psychosis’ at the time, but was pleading guilty and not disputing the facts of the case.
‘This offence was mean and rotten and it wasn’t a chance theft,’ said Judge McNulty.
He sentenced him to eight months in prison, but suspended it for two years on condition he keep the peace and commit no offences during this period.
However, he added a special condition that Mr Fairbrother is not to come back to Cork city or the county during this time.
