Woman stole €6,500 worth of designer items
By Aoife Nic Ardghail
A YOUNG woman stole over €6,500 of designer items from Dublin’s Brown Thomas and then sold them on the street for “relatively small money”, a court has heard.
Ellavita Flynn (24) had gone into Brown Thomas on Grafton street, selected items and taken them without paying, four times over two weeks.
She was caught leaving the store on the last occasion with a €2,280 Louis Vuitton handbag.
This item was the only one recovered.
Flynn, of Deerpark Lodge, Tallaght, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to stealing a €395 Michael Kors watch, a €2,400 Prada handbag, a €1,490 Gucci handbag and the Louis Vuitton handbag at Brown Thomas between December 19, 2017 and January 2, 2018.
Flynn’s three previous convictions are for thefts, all dealt with at District Court level.
Detective Garda Joseph Heaphy told Ronan Kennedy BL, prosecuting, that Brown Thomas had high quality CCTV footage of Flynn taking the items on each occasion.
The detective said €4,249 worth of items were not recovered and that Flynn had sold these on the street for “relatively small money”.
When interviewed about the thefts, Flynn said she was sorry. The court heard she was of no fixed abode at the time.
The detective agreed with John Griffin BL, defending, that the offending was opportunistic and that Flynn had had addiction issues.
Mr Griffin submitted to Judge Elma Sheahan that his client had been in care as a young teenager and began abusing substances aged 18.
He said this was as a result of her hanging about with “undesirable peers”.
Counsel said Flynn was volunteering in a charity shop so she could gain employment experience, but that she had ambitions to be a chef.
He said his client was more mature now and in a different place in her life.
Judge Sheahan adjourned the matter for six months so Flynn can prove she is addressing her drug issues and gaining employment training.
She remanded Flynn on continuing bail until July this year.
