Judge orders probation report on man who stole alcohol from Mayo shop

A 55-year-old man who has been accused of stealing almost €70 worth of alcohol from a south Mayo shop is to be assessed by the Probation Service.

Jaroslaw Pawlowski, of 87 Frenchpark, Oranmore, Galway, appeared before Castlebar District Court in relation to an alleged theft at McHugh’s Spar, Ballindine.

The court heard the offence is alleged to have occurred on January 13, 2024, when a man entered the premises, concealed two bottles of alcohol, a bottle of Hennessy and a bottle of Smirnoff valued at €69.98, and left without making any attempt to pay.

The charge was brought under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act.

Court presenter, Sergeant John O'Reilly, said the goods were not recovered.

Asked by Judge Sandra Murphy if the accused had previous convictions, Sergeant O'Reilly said Pawlowski had an extensive record.

Solicitor Mr. Gary Mulchrone said his client had approximately 70 previous convictions in total, including five for theft.

He said the majority of his convictions related to road traffic matters and public order, adding that the last conviction for theft appeared to be in 2017.

He told the court that Pawlowski had been living in Ireland since 2003 and had poor English, and that alcohol appeared to be an ongoing issue.

Mr. Mulchrone said his client was divorced with three children, two in their 20s and one in their 30s, and had initially worked as a plasterer when he first came to Ireland.

He said there had been a long period of non-offending and that the accused had brought compensation for the shop.

Judge Murphy noted that compensation of €70 was being paid in court.

She said that at the end of the day the theft was a loss to a small business, and noted that the accused had a previous history of theft dating back to when he first arrived in Ireland back in 2003.

She said Pawlowski had previously received custodial and suspended sentences, and expressed concern that he was not staying out of difficulty.

Judge Murphy ordered a probation report and adjourned the case until May 6 for finalisation.

* Funded under the Courts Reporting Scheme.