Thief goes ‘off the rails’ following death of father
A THIEF who stole three bottles of vodka went “off the rails” following the death of his father, Tallaght District Court has heard.
Judge Patricia McNamara sentenced Christopher Prentice to six months imprisonment.
Prentice, aged 23, with an address at Brookview Gardens, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to stealing three bottles of vodka worth €96 from Tesco, The Square, Tallaght, on March 24, 2018.
The court heard that Prentice picked up the bottles and walked out of the shop without paying for them.
Judge McNamara heard that Prentice has 27 previous convictions, of which six are for theft. He is currently serving a nineteen-month sentence for a number of offences and is not due for release until June 2019.
Prentice’s counsel, Stephen Montgomery BL, said his client’s father took his own life last August.
He said Prentice was devastated after his father’s death. Mr Montgomery said Prentice “went off the rails” and developed a problem with alcohol.
He said Prentice had drank the bottles of vodka after stealing them. Mr Montgomery asked the judge not to extend any sentence that his client is currently serving.
Judge McNamara sentenced Prentice to six months.
