A Buncrana man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for offences committed while on bail.
Gary King was brought before Buncrana District Court on Tuesday.
King, a 37-year-old of Straboe, Cockhill, Buncrana, faced charges of theft and also with failing to comply with the direction of a member of a Garda.
Evidence of the arrest, charge and caution of King was handed in by Sergeant Sean McDaid by way of schedule.
King was charged with the theft of two bottles of red wine, each valued at €8, from Aldi, Buncrana on July 19, 2024. Sergeant McDaid outlined that King entered the store and made off with the first bottle at 5.42pm and returned at 7.47pm and committed a similar offence.
The stolen property was not recovered.
The charges are contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
King told Judge Éiteáin Cunningham: “I had epileptic fits and I didn’t realise what I was doing.”
King added: “I would like to say sorry. I would like to pay for it.”
King was also charged with failing to comply with the direction of a Garda on June 24, 2024 at Cockhill Road, Buncrana.
Having been directed by Garda Eoghan Reid to leave immediately the vicinity of the place concerned in a peaceable and orderly manner, King failed to comply with the direction. The charge is contrary to Section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 as amended by Section 22 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2008
Mr Rory O’Brien, solicitor for King, said his client needs treatment for “ongoing and chronic addiction”.
“Obviously addiction is never defeated, but it can be controlled with great assistance and great help,” Mr O’Brien said, adding that King’s family are very supportive of him.
“These charges are an accumulation of his addiction.
Mr O’Brien said King had a balance of eight months on a previous prison sentence and he would now recommence that sentence. An application to the Circuit Court – which sat at Buncrana courthouse on the same day – in that matter would be withdrawn, Mr O’Brien added.
Judge Cunningham said it was “very disappointing for all concerns” that King was back in court.
“We have discussed this any amount of times,” Judge Cunningham said, “There is no point in trying to offer words of support or otherwise.”
For a charge of a failure to comply with direction of a member of Garda Síochána, King, who has a series of previous convictions, was sentenced to eight months in prison.
On one of the theft charges, King was sentenced to two months in prison.
As the offences were committed while King was on bail, the sentences are to run consecutively.
Judge Cunningham marked other charges as taken into consideration.