A Judge told a woman who went on a thieving spree around the city that it was bad enough that one of her victims was the charity Cope, but she compounded this by stealing a wallet and other items from the Garda station where she was brought following her arrest.
Judge Adrian Harris was told at a special sitting of Galway District Court that Brigit Mongan (54 ) Osterley Lodge, 140 Lower Salthill, Galway was the mother of seven adult children and was addicted to codeine, so she stole to feed her habit. She pleaded guilty to 10 charges of theft before the court.
Mongan carried out her spree last December, taking items from various businesses in the city including a pharmacy, health shop, newsagent and twice stealing from the Cope charity shop.
While she was in custody at the Garda HQ she stole a wallet containing cash and cards. She used the cards to tap for items in several more shops around the city, but €500 in cash in the wallet was not recovered.
Michael Cunningham solicitor (defending ) said stealing from a Garda station where there were cameras everywhere showed his client was not in a right state of mind. She didn’t take street drugs but was on a methadone programme for her codeine addiction, which began after a very serious car accident when she was 26 when she injured her spine. She had made several attempts to detox over the years but had not been successful.
Her husband knows she needs help and was standing by her and in court to support her, the defence explained. He added that she was doing well in prison and working in the laundry.
Mongan has 56 previous conviction, 45 of which were for shoplifting.
Summing up, Judge Harris said this was a sad situation, firstly for all the victims of her crimes who are at a loss. “A lot of people in these business are trying to make a living and the last thing they need is this kind of thing to deal with,” he said.
He added that a particularly egregious aspect here was the theft from a charity, not once but twice and then to steal from Garda HQ was an aggravating factor.
Imposing a six-month prison sentence he said he hopes things improved for her in prison, adding that he knew she was suffering but the city shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of her addiction
