A woman alleged to have tried on clothes in the changing room of a Galway store and who attempted to leave wearing them without paying for the items pleaded not guilty to a charge of criminal damage when she appeared before Judge Fiona Lydon at Galway District Court this week.
Gloria Ngwu, Cill Ard, Bohermore, who is currently in custody, pleaded not guilty to three charges being brought against her.
Garda Sgt Christy Brown outlined to the Court the charges.
On January 6, 2023 it is alleged the defendant entered a store on the Headford Road where she took clothing items into a changing room, removed security tags, put them on and then tried to leave without paying for them.
She was confronted by security staff and Gardaí were called. The charge she faces in this case is criminal damage for allegedly damaging the clothes when the security tags were removed in the dressing room.
Ngwu is also charged with entering a store in Eyre Square on December 10, 2022 and attempting to leave with goods worth €46 without payment. She is pleading not guilty to this charge.
The defendant also faces two charges of failing to appear in Court when summoned to do so. She is pleading not guilty to these charges also.
As Ngwu is charged with theft, she is entitled to opt to have her case heard before a judge and jury in the Circuit Court or for it to remain in the District Court. She opted for the District Court
Gary McDonald BL asked the Court to recommend that a psychiatrist see his client. He pointed out that this request had been made at an earlier sitting by another Judge.
Judge Lydon said there was some confusion as normally such a request would be made if there was an issue over a defendant’s fitness to plea. Mr McDonald assured her that this was not the case. He said his client’s previous history would be outlined to the Court by her defence as part of mitigation.
Judge Lydon agreed to request the prison governor where the defendant is incarcerated to arrange for her to see a psychiatrist, but she noted that it was very unusual for a Court to ask a prison governor for a report as part of a defence mitigation submission.
The Judge also noted that one of the charges before her dated back to 2022 and another from 2023 and asked where Ngwu had been for the past three years. The case was adjourned for a hearing date to be fixed and Judge Lydon said she would prioritise her case on her list as she remained in custody.
