Woman insists that she wants case ‘over and done with today’
The woman stole 13 bottles of Jameson and a case of Budweiser from a Londis
A 40-YEAR-old woman who stole whiskey and beer from a Kilkenny supermarket insisted her case be heard immediately at Carlow District Court despite her barrister’s attempts to adjourn it, telling the judge she had lost her brother just days earlier and wanted the matter “over and done with today”.
Kathleen Cash, 65 Sundale Avenue, Athy appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy via video link from custody and pleaded guilty to section 4 theft of goods valued at €470.36 from Londis supermarket on Main Street, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.
When barrister Eamonn O’Moore asked for a short adjournment until 18 March, Ms Cash interjected: “I just lost my brother on Sunday. I just want it over and done with today.”
“I’m very, very sorry,” she said to the court, adding that another brother and her grandmother had also passed away last year.
Mr O’Moore expressed concern about proceeding without time to prepare. “Given her previous convictions, I am concerned I won’t be able to put her best foot forward,” he said, proposing to adjourn the case to the following week.
“I don’t know anything about you. I’m concerned I wouldn’t be able to advocate your mitigation,” he told Ms Cash, who was on screen.
“Get it over and done with. I’m not able … it’s better for everyone,” she replied.
The court heard that on 6 January 2023 at 8.07pm, a female accompanied by a child entered the Londis shop and walked towards the off-licence section. She picked up 13 bottles of Jameson and two cases of Budweiser. She paid for one case of Budweiser and walked out of the shop with the bottles of whiskey while the child walked out with the other case of beer. No property was recovered.
CCTV footage from the shop was viewed by gardaí and Ms Cash was identified as the female who took the items without paying.
The defendant has ten previous convictions, eight of which are for theft. The most recent convictions date from 25 July 2022 at Cork Circuit Court for section 4 theft offences, for which she was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for two years. The other matters date back to 2010.
Judge Carthy agreed to proceed, and Mr O’Moore presented mitigation on the spot: “Just to repeat, Ms Cash comes from tragic circumstances. She has lost her brother and other family members in the last year. I can’t put much more forward.” “I’m very, very sorry,” Ms Cash said again.
“She has expressed remorse and is anxious to dispose of this. She is putting her hands up to the offence,” added Mr O’Moore.
Judge Carthy said she would take the guilty plea into account and the tragic circumstances, while noting the aggravating factors of ten previous convictions, eight of which were for similar theft offences.
“I will do two things: one, I’m not going to view this as a triggering offence, even though it is, and two, I will convict and sentence Ms Cash to six months’ (without attached conditions) from today,” the judge said.
