Gardai use street cameras to track thief
By Fiona Ferguson
GARDAI were able to remotely control street cameras to track the movements of a thief who had stolen €500 from a shop leading to his arrest in a cafe shortly afterwards, a court has heard, reports Fiona Ferguson.
Shane Pollard (41) had been captured on CCTV as he went behind the shop counter and took money from the till.
Gardai were alerted and were able to control cameras in the area to monitor Pollard's location as he left the shop and ran down the street into a nearby cafe.
Garda Patrick Fallon told Garret Baker BL, prosecuting, that he responded and arrested Pollard, who was breathing heavily and sweating, in the cafe.
All the money was recovered. Pollard made full admissions during the journey to the garda station.
Pollard, of Thornfield Square, Watery Lane, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to theft of €510 from Daybreak, Tower Road, Clondalkin on February 3, 2018.
Pollard, who has 27 previous convictions including seven for robbery, had committed the offence during a relapse into cocaine use.
Judge Melanie Greally said there had been no force or violence used towards any staff but noted Pollard had armed himself with a blade or scissors for the purpose of carrying out the theft.
She said Pollard was doing well following his release from an earlier sentence but relapsed into cocaine use following the anniversary of a family bereavement. She noted his guilty plea and co-operation.
Judge Greally imposed a two-year sentence which she backdated to February to reflect time spent in custody.
Luigi Rea BL, defending, said Pollard had begun to dabble in drugs from the age of 16-years-old, beginning with cannabis and progressing to alcohol, ecstasy, heroin and cocaine.
He said Pollard had got his drug use under control but had a slip into cocaine use at the time of this offence.
Mr Rea said Pollard was now doing well in custody and had been instructed that he was not using narcotics.
He said his client suffered from diabetes and late-onset epilepsy.
