Judge accepts man may have forgotten beer bottles were in his pockets when leaving Cork supermarket

A Lithuanian man who was charged with the theft of two bottles of beer from a Cork supermarket may have forgotten he had the items in his pockets the district court has heard.

Inspector Roisín O’Dea told Clonakilty District Court it was alleged that Marius Karanauskas, 48 of Upper Bridge Street, Skibbereen and stolen the items from Scally’s SuperValu in Clonakilty.

The court was told that Mr Karanauskas entered the supermarket shortly before 1pm on February 14, 2025. It was alleged that he took two bottles of Duval beer valued at €7 and put them in his jacket pockets.

He also picked up a four-pack of another beer and paid for this at the checkout.

The court heard that CCTV showed Mr Karanauskas putting the two bottles in his pockets and leaving.

Giving evidence Mr Karanauskas said he did not intend to steal the items and was “drunk like shit” at the time of the incident.

He said he had just returned from Belgium prior to the incident and had been drinking heavily on the flight to Cork. Mr Karanauskas said that he “had to get more drink” but did not know how it happened and was “very big sorry.”

Defence solicitor Éamonn Flemming said that there had to be a reasonable doubt as to whether Mr Karanauskas had intentionally stolen the items.

He said that his client paid for the four other beers and was also holding his mobile phone in his other hand. He said his client had not tried to conceal the beers which were “sticking out of his pockets.”

Judge Joanne Caroll said that intoxication was no defence for theft but she did concede that it was conceivable Mr Karanauskas had taken the items by mistake and the case was dismissed.

• This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.