A woman who tore off in a stolen bread ban in Ballinasloe one morning in early May made another appearance in court, this time Tuam District Court, where she was told by a judge that there was no question of her getting bail but there was one of her getting treatment while in custody.
Catherine O’Brien was brought from prison to appear before Judge James Faughnan, who had dealt with her when she was arrested after the bread-van incident.
Gardaí made strong objections to her being granted bail as she had accumulated so many charges in a short period of time.
O’Brien told the Court that she had never been in trouble before in her life but her mother had died three months previously and she took the loss very badly. She repeatedly apologised for her behaviour and pleaded to be given bail, but Judge Faughnan told her she needed to be somewhere she could get some help.
O’Brien (no fixed abode ) said she took the van because she wanted to keep warm and insisted she hadn’t eaten any of the bread. She told Gardaí she was from Castleblakeney but an address could not be verified.
Garda Damien Hogan told Judge Faughnan that O’Brien (DOB 1968 ) had taken the Brennan’s bread van at 7.40am the morning before (May 6 ) and after colliding with the bank and taking the side off the vehicle Gardaí brought her to a stop at Deerpark, Ballinasloe. She had been kept in custody overnight to appear before the Court on May 7.
Before taking the van she entered Eurospar at 7.25am by a back door when it was closed and concealed two bottles of wine on her person. When challenged she handed one bottle back to staff but kept the other.
When she was brought before Tuam Court on Tuesday she was remanded again to appear before the next sitting of Ballinasloe Court.
“There’s no question of bail but there is a question of treatment,” Judge Faughnan told her before she was returned to prison.
This article is funded by Comisiún na Meán.
