Jailed for theft and trespass offences
A 53-YEAR-OLD Monaghan man, with some 190 previous convictions, was sent to prison for five months when he appeared at Monaghan District Court recently on theft, trespass and public order charges.
Micheal Sherlock, of no fixed abode, Monaghan Town, was in custody having been arrested the previous Saturday for a public intoxication offence. This occurred on April 5 last at Mullaghdun, Monaghan, and he admitted his involvement.
Sherlock also pleaded guilty to stealing a bottle of vodka worth €25 (which was never recovered) at McNally’s Centra, Main Street, Newbliss, Co Monaghan, on January 15, 2025, as well as to trespassing on a building at 19 Dublin Street, Monaghan, on February 20.
With regard to the trespassing, Sergeant Lisa McEntee said gardaí received a report of a window and door having been smashed. They arrived at the vacant Dublin Street property and found that a window was broken and that the defendant was lying on a floor upstairs. Sgt McEntee said Sherlock had 190 previous convictions for various offences. These included 34 for theft and many others for public order breaches. The sergeant pointed to a number of prison sentences the defendant received in 2024, the most recent being a two-month term given at the court in Monaghan last September.
Roisin Courtney, solicitor, said her client had a chronic alcohol problem as well as a serious disability that left him with the use of only one leg. He is currently homeless and without any Social Welfare payments, the latter an issue he is trying to resolve.
Judge Raymond Finnegan noted that there was no compensation available to the business in Newbliss, which was left at a loss. This was one of the reasons other people had to pay so much for their groceries, he commented.
The judge said the short custodial sentences given to Mr Sherlock to date were apparently making no difference, and that a lengthier five-month term was therefore being imposed in relation to the vodka theft.
All the other charges, including trespassing at the Dublin Street property, were marked proven and taken into consideration.