Clare man freed after handing stolen €15 bag of coal to gardaí

Gordon Deegan

A judge has freed a Clare man who spent five weeks on remand in Limerick prison after he presented a stolen €15 bag of coal at his local Garda Station after phoning a Garda beforehand to say that he was going to carry out a theft.

At Ennis District Court, James (Jamie) Lally (47) of Newtown, Corofin, walked free from court after Judge Valerie Corcoran imposed a six-week prison term backdated to a date in February when Mr Lally first voluntarily went into custody.

Judge Corcoran said Lally has served the sentence, which allows him to leave custody.

Corcoran said to Lally: “If you need assistance again, go to the drug services or go to services that can assist you and try to avoid something that would put you in this situation again. Go for assistance to those services - it is a better route to take."

In evidence, Sgt John Burke told the court that Mr Lally took the €15 bag of coal from outside a shop in Corofin on February 17th.

Burke said: “It is quite an unusual offence and he went to Corofin Garda Station where he admitted to Garda Andrew Monahan and was arrested and charged and declined to sign a bail bond."

Burke said that Lally has 59 previous convictions, including nine for theft.

Solicitor, John Casey, for the accused man, said Lally has a very good relationship with Garda Monahan and before committing the offence told Garda Monahan that he needed to be put into prison and that he "needed to get off the streets”.

Casey said Lally told Garda Monahan that he was going to carry out a theft of drink, but instead stole the bag of coal and brought the bag of coal to the Garda station.

Casey commented that “this is more a welfare call than anything else”.

In the case, Lally pleaded guilty to the theft of one €15 bag of coal from Hogan's Shop, Market Street, Corofin on February 17th.

The charge was contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.

Lally told Judge Corcoran that he wanted to apologise to the court, and after Judge Corcoran asked how he was, Lally said he was feeling good.