A man has been remanded in custody after being charged with a series of burglaries in Letterkenny.
Matthew Lafferty was hauled before Buncrana District Court on Tuesday on foot of eleven charges.
Lafferty, who has 89 previous convictions, is “vehemently” denying involvement in the incidents.
Lafferty has been charged with six burglaries arising out of incidents in Letterkenny last week. The court heard that the alleged total value of property stolen amounted to €4,880.
The 36-year-old of Fairgreen, Long Lane, Letterkenny, was brought to court in handcuffs by gardaí and has also been charged with three further theft offences and an incident of criminal damage.
Lafferty is charged with criminal damage to the value of €700 to a glass door at Bronze Age Tanning Limited, Port Road Letterkenny on September 20. The charge is contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Criminal Damage Act, 1991
Lafferty is also charged that, having entered a building known as Zen Hair and Beauty, Port Road, Letterkenny, as a trespasser on September 20, he did commit an arrestable offence, to wit criminal damage and theft, therein.
He faces similar charges in respect of Ace Barbers, Oliver Plunkett Road; Uviolki, Pearse Road; Future Style, Unit 2, Pearse Road; Hue Hair Salon, Pearse Road; Mr Chippie, Ramelton Road; Dream Brows, Neil T Blaney Road.
These charges are contrary to Section 12 (1) (b) and (3) of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
Lafferty is further charged with stealing groceries/household products to the value of €60 from Home Savers, Pearse Road, Letterkenny, on August 29, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
He is charged with stealing four cameras to the value of €208 from Home Savers, Pearse Road, Leterkenny, on August 23 and with stealing clothing collectively valued at €50 from Penneys, Letterkenny Shopping Centre on March 17.
Evidence of his arrest, charge and caution was handed to the court by way of schedule.
Sergeant Jim Collins objected to bail on behalf of An Garda Siochana.
He said there were eleven charges before the court and Lafferty is already on bail from both the District Court and the Circuit Court. Sergeant Collins said there was a concern that Lafferty would commit further offences if granted bail.
Solicitor for Lafferty, Mr Patsy Gallagher, said conditions could be imposed on his client – including a curfew, an instruction to reside at a given address and providing Gardaí with a mobile phone number to be contactable on at all times – and said an independent surety could be provided.
Mr Gallagher said his client “vehemently denies these charges”.
Judge Éiteáin Cunningham refused bail. While noting that Lafferty is an innocent man and enjoys the presumption of being innocent until proven guilty, she was refusing bail as she was satisfied that a refusal was considered necessary to prevent the commission of further serious offences, while noting the nature and degree of seriousness of the offences and the sentence likely to be imposed and the nature of and strength of the evidence.