Stole alcohol from Aldi stores on five separate occasions
The man stole vodka on each occasion
A MAN who stole alcohol on five separate occasions from Aldi supermarkets across Carlow town has been sentenced to four months in prison at Carlow District Court.
Rafal Brzana (46), with an address at The Tower, Graiguecullen, Carlow, appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy, where he pleaded guilty to five counts of theft contrary to section 4 of the .
Outlining the facts of the case to the court, Insp Jones said that on 24 March at approximately 1pm at Aldi in Graiguecullen, Garda Kenny responded to a report of a man who picked up two bottles of Smirnoff vodka and a bouquet of flowers before walking out of the shop without paying. The total value of the items stolen was €52.99.
On 7 April at 2.19pm, gardaí received a report of a male who entered the alcohol aisle at Aldi in Hanover before placing a bottle of vodka worth €18 in his jacket and leaving the store.
A day later, on 8 April, at Aldi Graiguecullen, a man picked up a bottle of Smirnoff Ice worth €23 and left the shop without paying.
On 17 April at 11.25am at Aldi Hanover, a man took two bottles of Smirnoff vodka with a value of €46 and exited the store.
In another incident at Aldi Graiguecullen, the court heard that on 23 April at 10.38am, two men were refused entry to the store for being too drunk. One of the males, later identified as Rafal Brzana, then picked up two bottles of vodka to the value of €42.41 from a conveyor belt and walked out of the shop without paying.
In all five incidents, CCTV footage identified Mr Brzana as the person who stole the alcohol.
The court heard that the defendant has 43 previous convictions, the most recent of which was at Carlow District Court on 9 September, where he was fined €250 for a section 4 public order offence of being intoxicated in a public place. Mr Brzana has one previous conviction for section 4 theft from Carlow Circuit Court in October 2018, for which he received a two-month prison sentence.
Defence solicitor John O’Sullivan told the court that his client is a “chronic alcoholic”, whose drink of choice is vodka.
In mitigation, he outlined that Mr Brzana had informed him that he would enter a guilty plea at the “earliest opportunity” and that a number of his friends had died around the time the five offences took place, which explained his behaviour.
Mr O’Sullivan said that his client was due to present a medical certificate to Judge Carthy that day and asked that she not sentence him until it was produced.
Judge Carthy, while taking into account the guilty plea, said that Mr Brzana’s 43 previous convictions were aggravating factors and that she had to consider the effect his behaviour had on society.
“This man started life in this court on 13 May 2026 and it has taken some time to get where we are today,” Judge Carthy said.
In respect of the incident at Aldi Graiguecullen on 23 April, where two bottles of vodka worth €42.41 were stolen, Judge Carthy convicted and sentenced Mr Brzana to four months in prison, while the four remaining charges were taken into consideration.
Mr O’Sullivan asked Judge Carthy to fix recognisance in the event of an appeal, which she set at a €500 own bond, ordering Mr Brzana to provide a cash lodgement of €100 and to be of sober habits.
