A MOTHER-of-one who stole a bag at a playground containing a child’s iPhone and €520 in cash ended up driving away with the child’s mother on the bonnet of her car after she followed her, a court heard this week.
Pauline Crowley (47) of 2 Ard na Gréine, Courtmacsherry pleaded guilty at Clonakilty District Court to theft, assault, and dangerous driving.
Sgt Tom Mulcahy said that at 2pm on July 12th last, a bag belonging to a 12-year-old child was taken from Dunmanway playground.
It contained an iPhone and €520 in birthday money cash which the child had planned to lodge in a bank.
‘Her mum, Ms Forsythe used the iPhone tracker app to trace the phone and found the bag in the boot of the Ms Crowley’s Volkswagen Passat car on Main Street. She confronted her and an altercation took place,’ said Sgt Mulcahy.
‘She stood in front of the car to stop Ms Crowley driving away but the defendant continued to drive. Ms Forsythe ended up on the bonnet of the car before sliding off it, while Ms Crowley accelerated and drove off with three young children in the car.
‘Due to roadworks in the town it delayed her and she was forced to stop, while Ms Forsythe was able to catch up with her and a further altercation took place. She rang 999 and then sat into the front passenger seat of the defendant’s car.’
Ms Crowley drove out of Dunmanway, stopped at a graveyard and threw out the child’s bag but €460 was missing when it was found by Ms Forysthe.
Ms Crowley then made a complaint to gardaí alleging €200 was stolen from her and that she had been slapped in the face twice. She did not engage with gardaí when later interviewed about the incident.
Defence solicitor Eamonn Fleming said his client’s reactions to driving away were not correct but argued that it didn’t classify as dangerous driving.
However, Judge James McNulty said it seemed to him that for someone to drive with another person on the bonnet is dangerous driving.
Mr Fleming said this incident was ‘completely out of character’ for his client, who had worked as a carer. He said she has no previous convictions and very much regrets her actions. He had €500 in court to compensate the child, which the judge said was a good start.
Judge McNulty said it was a ‘rash and desperate thing’ to do by stealing a child’s bag with money in it and €460 ‘gone in the twinkling of an eye’.
He convicted her on all three charges but deferred penalty until April 16th for the purpose of preparing a probation report as well as hearing a victim impact statement on that date
