Case of ‘death by a thousand cuts’, says judge as he jails Cork man

A JUDGE dealing with a total of 20 charges against a young man acknowledged that many of the charges were of shoplifting and minor offences but said it was a case of “death by a thousand cuts”.

Judge John King imposed a total of 15 months’ imprisonment on 21-year-old Kalem Murphy of Cork Simon Community.

The judge also imposed a six-month suspended sentence on him. That sentence will hang over him on his release from the 15-month period in prison.

Sergeant Gearóid Davis outlined the background to the long series of incidents that spanned from July last year until very recently.

Murphy skipped the queue at the GPO on Oliver Plunkett St on July 29 and was verbally abusive to other members of the public. He was drunk and a danger. He failed to appear in court on two occasions in relation to this case.

He stole a bottle of gin worth €38 from Marks and Spencer on August 11. He was caught with heroin for his own use at the Q carpark at Wandesford Quay on August 23 last year.

He was drunk and a danger at Merchants Quay and stole a bottle of vodka from the supermarket on September 9.

On March 3 this year, Murphy was found trespassing at Tesco on Paul St in the till areas when the shutters were down at 11.30pm.

He was caught shoplifting toiletries valued €3.50 at Michael Guiney’s on Oliver Plunkett St on March 19.

Two days after that, Murphy was drunk and a danger in the Paul St shopping centre shortly before 10pm.

And two days after that he turned up in Tesco and stole a bottle of vodka before 9am.

On April 4 he stole a bottle of rum valued at €30 from Dunnes Stores at Merchants Quay. The following day he stole a €4 tiramisu from Spar on Douglas St.

Three days later Murphy was obstructing pedestrians by begging outside Spar on MacCurtain St.

April 17 at Grand Parade he was drunk and a danger and engaged in threatening behaviour at Dealz at Grand Parade. He called gardaí “f***ing pigs” and called the security man who followed him from Dealz a “baldy c***”.

On April 20, at Cornmarket St, Murphy was drunk and a danger.

On April 21, he was drunk and a danger at Patirck Street and obstructing pedestrians by begging.