A PACKET of sausages and a can of Red Bull, placed by a child on the wrong side of a self-service checkout, led to a man being sentenced to four months in jail for theft.
However, moments after imposing the sentence on Jim Delaney Junior of The Pier, Bantry, Judge Marie Keane suspended the sentence for two years on the basis that the accused would keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
Court presenter Insp Triona O’Mahony said the incident was detected at lunchtime on August 10th 2023, and an examination of CCTV footage confirmed the suspicions of staff at the SuperValu store.
The two items would have cost €6.90 if they had gone through the scanner, according to Insp O’Mahony. The accused, who has 87 previous convictions, paid the bill when the case was called at a recent sitting of Bantry District Court. Colette McCarthy, the accused’s solicitor, said a child had placed the items on the other side of the scanner and her client picked them up before leaving the store.
Judge Marie Keane said the theft of €6.90 worth of goods was not a small matter because the State had been put to the expense of bringing a prosecution.
Although a suspended sentence was imposed, Ms McCarthy asked for recognisances to be fixed in the event of an appeal to the Circuit Court.
