Woman released on bail for shoplifting charges carried out several more thefts in Cork city

A Cork woman who was warned in October that she was in ‘last-chance saloon’ when she was released on bail for shoplifting charges carried out several more thefts shortly after she got out.

Now, at Cork District Court, Maggie Foley has been jailed for eight months for a litany of thefts in Cork City, many of them over the last few weeks.

37-year-old Ms Foley, of Grenville Court, Grenville Place, Cork, was told by a judge at Cork District Court in mid-October that she would be released on bail, but that she was in “last-chance saloon”.

At that time, she was accused of burglary at Blue Nile, French Church St, where she stole a laptop and Nike runners from an office area on June 9. She was also charged with thefts at Tommy Hilfiger on St Patrick Street on June 16, at Dunnes Stores, Merchants Quay, on October 1, and at Tesco Express, South Main St, Cork, on October 8 and with stealing €50 worth of alcohol.

She stole a small amount of goods on October 12 at Centra, North Main St. The following day, she stole three cans of Four Loco at Tesco Express on South Main St.

And the day after that, she stole €85 worth of clothing at TK Maxx on Cornmarket St.

Despite the warning given to her about being at risk, Maggie Foley went on to steal €315 worth of clothing from Marks and Spencer on October 23.

As recently as November 9 she stole a €240 jacket at Brown Thomas in Cork. On the same date, she stole €138 worth of clothing from Dunnes Stores across the street.

Her solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, said she had an awful lot of tragedy in her past, that a number of family members died in various circumstances when she was young. Mr Kelleher said that her difficulty with alcohol did not even commence until she was 25.

“More than incarceration, she needs to get into rehabilitation to deal with her alcohol problem,” Mr Kelleher said.

The judge who dealt with Ms Foley on this latest appearance at Cork District Court — Treasa Kelly — imposed a total sentence of eight months on her for all of the offences to which she pleaded guilty.