Luigi Malone's customer took fiver from staff tip jar in Cork city 

A customer at Luigi Malone’s put his hand in the tip jar and slipped out a fiver for himself.

As the theft was described as a nasty offence, a district court judge said it would have been more in the man’s line to put some money into the jar.

Sergeant Aisling Murphy said at Cork District Court that 32-year-old Leigh Moran of 38A Dublin St, Blackpool, went to Luigi Malone’s at Emmet Place in Cork and took a €5 note from the tip jar when in the premises with another person.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, said the accused man Leigh Moran, who has 22 previous convictions for theft, accepted that it was “a quite nasty offence to take money from restaurant workers” for whom tips are part of their income. Mr Buttimer said the defendant was very much aware of this as his own partner worked in another restaurant in Cork.

“He has a background of substance abuse but he is drug-free now,” the solicitor said.

Judge Miriam Walsh said: “You are right, it was a nasty, nasty thing to do to people who are not on the greatest salary scale.”

The judge said that restaurant staff at times had to take “dog’s abuse from customers who complained for the sheer hell of making complaints.”

Judge Walsh said: “To put his hand in the cookie jar is absolutely disgraceful. It would be more in your line to put a tip in that jar.”

The judge imposed a sentence of two months but suspended it.