WHEN a Judge at Galway District Court was informed that a defendant before her had 355 previous convictions, her reaction was “Wow.”
Gardaí, solicitors and experienced reporters present all agreed that this may be a record in their collective experiences.
Margaret McDonagh, 4 Conyngham Rd, Dublin 8, is currently in custody on unrelated convictions and was remanded back to Wexford and Dundalk District Courts to face judgement on whether suspended sentences should be activated.
McDonagh on her shoplifting tour of Galway stole from TK Maxx (€384 ) Sport Direct (€280 ) Carraig Donn (€380 ) Everly’s (€250 ) and Brown Thomas (€300 ) Judge Valerie Corcoran was informed.
Her MO was to wheel an empty buggy into a shop and place the items in it before wheeling it out. In other cases she stuffed items such as three pairs of jeans from Brown Thomas into a bag she carried.
Judge Corcoran was told that of her 355 previous convictions, 252 were for theft. The Court was told that McDonagh is currently serving a two-year and four-months’ sentence.
In addition she has to go back to Wexford and Dundalk District Courts where two six-month suspended sentences may have to be activated because of offences committed during the allotted suspended period.
“I’m wasting my time here” the Judge said, adding that she thought it is irrelevant what she did, referring to the fact that any sentence she imposed would be served concurrently with the sentences the defendant is already serving.
Olivia Traynor solr (defending ) said it was not often that the Court was shocked, referring to her client’s record. Her client had a tragic family background and she became involved in criminal activity at a very young age. She is currently on a methadone programme in prison.
Summing up, the Judge said McDonagh was obviously “playing the system.” She was even committing offences while on temporary release from prison. She is obviously a very prolific thief, she said, but my hands are tied. She imposed concurrent sentences.
