Woman went shopping in Cork with debit card she found on the street
Accused was ordered to donate €150 to the poor box and to carry out 20 hours of charity work. Picture: Dan Linehan
A woman who found a lost debit card on the street and used it to go shopping in two supermarkets has avoided a criminal conviction in the district court.
Sergeant Eimear O’Connell told Bandon District Court a man had gone to Bandon Garda Station on Sunday, May 4 last to report his debit card as missing. The injured party told gardaí he had lost his card and it had been used for a number of transactions he did not authorise.
The court was told the card was used for four different transactions in SuperValu in Bandon and another transaction at Aldi supermarket in Bandon. The items purchased were groceries and the total value of the transactions was €139.61, with €32.87 spent in Aldi, and €106.74 spent in SuperValu.
Sgt O’Connell said Mimi Kiss, 42 of North Main Street, Bandon, Co Cork, was identified via CCTV footage. Kiss, who was aided in court by a Hungarian translator, made full admissions when she was arrested and pleaded guilty to five counts of theft.
Defence solicitor Myra Dinneen said her client had been living in Ireland for seven years and had no previous convictions of any kind.
She said Kiss had brought €200 to court to compensate the injured party and was “really sorry over this”. She said Kiss, who works full-time in local factory, had found the card and accepted what she did next was “a very big mistake”.
Ms Dineen said her client was very remorseful for her actions and had suffered considerable stress and anxiety as a result.
Judge Joanne Carroll accepted Kiss had shown significant remorse. She said the fact Kiss was in full-time employment, had no previous convictions, and had made good the loss were all in her favour.
She ordered Kiss to donate €150 to the poor box and to carry out 20 hours of charity work. The judge said if Kiss did as instructed she would apply the Probation Act for one of the SuperValu thefts and the Aldi theft, and strike out the remaining charges. The case was adjourned to November 7 for finalisation.
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