A man who stole €285 worth of items from a Letterkenny shop has been convicted in court.
Mohammad Gaouaoui appeared before Letterkenny District Court.
Gaouaoui was charged with the theft from TK Maxx at Letterkenny Retail Park on December 28, 2023.
A 38-year-old of Hazel Hotel, Monasterevin, Kildare, was charged that he did steal a jacket, a holdall and a mineral drink to the value of €285 the property of TK Maxx. The charge is contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
Speaking with the assistance of an interpreter, Gaouaoui elected to have the matter dealt with in the District Court and tendered a guilty plea.
Mr Frank Dorrian, solicitor for Gaouaoui, said his cdlient is a 38-year-old from Algeria who has been in Ireland since 2018. He said there is ‘quite a language barrier’ and these incidents came as a result of being intoxicated which ‘clouded the judgement’ of his client.
Mr Dorrian said Gaouaoui, who is currently unemployed, is legally in Ireland and has a residency permit, which he is ‘anxious to guard’.
“This type of behaviour is incompatible with the status enhancement that he is seeking,” Mr Dorrian said.
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham convicted Gaouaoui and fined him €150, giving five months to pay.
Gaouaoui was also convicted of possessing cannabis on another date.
Sergeant Jim Collins told the court that Gardai received a call on January 19, 2024 from a male who told them that a man was smoking cannabis on a bus from Belfast to Letterkenny. When searched by officers, Gaouaoui was found with €5 worth of cannabis.
“His cognitive skills are not that intact,” Mr Dorrian said. “Smoking dope on a bus from Belfast . . . it was guaranteed to end badly.”
For this offence, Gaouaoui was convicted and fined €100 with six months to pay.