A Letterkenny man was caught with more than €1,000 in cash just hours after a local cafe was broken into.
Thieves broke into the Counter Deli in Letterkenny and took a cash register with its contents including €1,057 in cash.
The intruders smashed the front window of the popular premises before gaining entry around 2am on July 18th last year.
Gardai were alerted and launched an immediate investigation.
Hours later Garda Elaine Gordon came across Matthew Lafferty whom she noticed was very nervous and was sweating profusely.
Upon searching Lafferty under the Misuse of Drugs Act, Garda Gordon discovered he had €1,045 and a £20 note in his pocket.
He was arrested and taken to Letterkenny Garda station where he admitted breaking into the cafe.
Matthew Lafferty
The till was later found damaged in a follow-up search.
The total cost of the damage to the premises and to the till was €1,651.44.
Lafferty, aged 25, was arrested on a bench warrant and appeared before Letterkenny District Court yesterday.
His solicitor, Mr Patsy Gallagher, told the court that Lafferty, had been before the courts for the past 11 years and had been addicted to drink and drugs for a long time.
He has 61 previous convictions for a range of offences including burglary, assault, possession of drugs, theft and road traffic offences.
Judge Paul Kelly adjourned the case until April 13th for sentence and ordered Laffety to sign on three times a week at Letterkenny Garda station, to keep a nightly curfew, to stay off drink and drugs and to make himself available to Gardai if he needed to be contacted.