Sentenced to 21 months for theft from shops and Askea church
Carlow Courthouse Photo: Michael O'Rourke
A 36-YEAR-old man was sentenced to 21 months in prison for the theft of multiple charity boxes across Carlow and causing criminal damage to a shrine at Askea church. Wayne Robinson of no fixed abode appeared before Carlow District Court via videolink from Wheatfield Prison on Wednesday 17 December and pleaded guilty to multiple counts of theft and one count of criminal damage on separate dates earlier this year.
Sgt Foley gave evidence to the court that gardaí were alerted to a theft at Shaws department store on Tullow Street, Carlow town on 5 August 2025. Gardaí inspected CCTV footage, which showed a man, whom they identified as Mr Robinson, picking up a bottle of perfume with a value of €150 before leaving the shop without paying for the item.
One day later, on 6 August, gardaí were alerted to a theft at Eurogiant. CCTV footage showed two males, one of whom was Mr Robinson, enter the shop, with one of them placing a charity box for the Éist Cancer Support Centre that contained €30 of cash under his jacket before leaving the shop. CCTV identified Mr Robinson as the man who took the charity box.
The court heard that two days later, Mr Robinson was back in Shaws of Tullow Street, where CCTV footage showed him entering the shop and concealing a bottle of Paco Rabanne perfume valued at €189.50 in his trousers before leaving the store.
Sgt Foley gave further evidence that on 23 August Mr Robinson attended Askea church, where he stole money from a newspaper stand and caused criminal damage to a shrine.
The court heard that CCTV footage identified two males sitting down at a pew before one of them took an item from a backpack that he used to try to pry open the shrine’s cash box, but was unsuccessful. Garda Long identified one of the males as Mr Robinson.
Less than a week later, on 29 August, gardaí were alerted to a theft at Hickson’s Centra in Carlow town, where the court heard that Mr Robinson, after being refused service in the shop in relation to a previous matter, picked up a bag of Maltesers valued at €4 and left the shop without paying. When one of the shop clerks followed him out of the store, Mr Robinson proceeded to taunt him before walking away.
The court also heard that on 15 July, Mr Robinson stole a fundraising box for Carlow Lions Club from Keenan’s service station in Pollerton. No property was recovered.
Mr Robinson has a total of 48 previous convictions and was sentenced to eight years in Midlands Prison for an assault causing serious harm in 2011.
Defence solicitor Joe Farrell told Judge Geraldine Carthy that his client, who “is in the throes of addiction”, does not blame anyone but himself for the situation he is in.
Mr Farrell also told the court that, in relation to the theft of the charity boxes, his client acknowledged it was “poor form” and that when Mr Robinson is not using drugs, he is a “very pleasant and polite person” and it did not surprise him that, when charged, he made an admission of guilt and was polite to the gardaí.
Judge Geraldine Carthy agreed with the defendant that stealing the charity boxes was “bad form” and acknowledged the aggravating factor of the criminal damage at Askea church.
Judge Carthy considered the guilty plea and noted Mr Robinson’s addiction struggles as mitigation before sentencing him to seven months’ imprisonment for the theft at Eurogiant.
She also sentenced him to seven months’ imprisonment, to be served consecutively to the previous, for the theft of the Paco Rabanne perfume at Shaws and a further seven months, also to be served consecutively, for the criminal damage at Askea church.
