Cork man spent Christmas in prison following drunken behaviour and shoplifting
Months Was Sentenced Prison Accused In To Six
A father of four who spent Christmas in prison because of his own persistent drunken behaviour and shoplifting accepted on Friday he only had himself to blame.
Judge Mary Dorgan acknowledged spending Christmas in prison was particularly hard for the 34-year-old and for his family.
A five-month prison sentence hanging over John McDonagh of Bay 2, Halting Site, Mahon, Cork, was activated on December 19.
On Friday, he was back before Cork District Court pleading guilty to several counts of theft and other charges under the Public Order Act.
Judge Mary Dorgan imposed a sentence of six months on him and expressed the hope he would start to rehabilitate in relation to his drink issues.
McDonagh said he had commenced meetings in prison and would seek help. His solicitor, Shane Collins-Daly, said the man had a drink problem that escalated to the point he was drinking vodka straight from the bottle.
Between November 16, 2024, and December 18 he carried out the various offences. He stole €123 worth of property at Boots in Merchants Quay, €43 worth of alcohol from Centra on St Patrick’s Street, he stole a €949 iPhone 15 from Eir on St Patrick’s Street, an €80 jacket from JD Sports nearby and a pair of wireless earphones worth €100 at Golden Discs on St Patrick’s Street.
He was arrested on December 18 for being drunk and threatening on St Patrick’s Street.
In an earlier incident on May 30, 2024, he stole €180 headphones from TechStar, Douglas Village shopping centre, and €43 worth of clothing from Penneys on St Patrick’s Street on May 2.
Also in May, he stole three Louis Vuitton handbags from Brown Thomas, with a total value of €2,397.
Judge Dorgan imposed a total sentence of six months imprisonment on him. Before Friday, Sergeant Dave Delea said the accused had 112 previous convictions, of which 44 were for theft.