Grocery thief attacked Dublin supermarket staff with syringe, claiming he had HIV

Isabel Hayes

A grocery thief who attacked supermarket staff with a syringe after telling them he had HIV has been jailed for three and a half years.

Matas Kuzevicius, of no fixed abode in Dublin 1, was stopped by security staff trying to leave Fresh supermarket at Grand Canal Square on Hanover Quay with stolen groceries in November last year.

He produced a syringe filled with a bloodlike substance and told them he had HIV, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

In the ensuing struggle, an assistant manager received a scrape to the hand that was consistent with a syringe injury, Garda Seamus Egan told the court. Kuzevicius (35) was detained at the scene and arrested by gardaí. He was intoxicated at the time, the court heard.

He came forward on signed pleas from the District Court to counts of stealing groceries, assault causing harm, possession of a syringe and threat to injure with a syringe at the supermarket on November 20th, 2025. They are charges that carry maximum sentences of seven and 10 years.

Kuzevicius has 33 previous convictions, mostly for theft and attempted theft.

Victim impact statements were handed into court but not read aloud. The assaulted staff member had to undergo testing, but did not receive any significant physical injuries, the court heard. Kuzevicius did not have HIV as he had claimed to staff.

Marc Thompson, defending, said his client came to Ireland from Lithuania a number of years ago and had a good work history here in a factory until he experienced workplace bullying and left his job.

He became homeless and fell into drug addiction, which progressed to heroin addiction, the court heard. His previous convictions mostly occurred during a relatively short period from 2022 to 2025, the court heard.

Gardaí accepted that while Kuzevicius went into the store with the aim of stealing groceries with the syringe, he did not mean to assault anyone with it.

Kuzevicius has been in custody since this offence and has become drug-free in custody, the court heard. He is extremely remorseful for his actions that day.

Sentencing him on Monday, Judge Orla Crowe said the incident was a “very, very serious and dangerous situation” and was a marked escalation of Kuzevicius's previous offending.

“It must have been deeply frightening for the employees involved,” she said.

She set a headline sentence of six years which she reduced to four years, taking into account mitigating factors including the early guilty pleas, Kuzevicius remorse and his rehabilitation in custody.

She suspended the final six months of this sentence on a number of conditions, including that he remain under the supervision of the Probation Service for one year after his release from custody.