Man with 185 convictions pleads guilty to theft from Waterford off licence
Sean Byrne (29), who has no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft and 18 counts of handling stolen property at Carryout Off Licence in Ferrybank, on July 16, 2024.
A man with 185 previous convictions, who is currently serving a prison sentence, has narrowly avoided having his prison stay extended.
Sean Byrne (29), who has no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft and 18 counts of handling stolen property at Carryout Off Licence in Ferrybank, on July 16, 2024, at a sitting of Waterford District Court before Judge Kevin Staunton.
Mr Byrne was also on the list for the court to decide if it would activate a previously suspended sentence, which he had received for burglary. Following an appeal in the Circuit Court, that sentence was suspended in June last year.
However, the defendant has since been convicted of obstruction and jailed for six months, potentially triggering the previously suspended sentence. Judge Staunton decided not to activate that sentence.
The court was told that Mr Byrne had 185 previous convictions, including 112 for public order offences, robbery, assault, burglary and possession of knives.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Derek Connors told the court that his client has a serious alcohol problem stemming from PTSD from when his father was murdered in the early 2000s. He pointed out that most of the offences were public order in nature, and his client is more of a “nuisance” than anything.
“It is how he deals with his PTSD,” said Mr Connors.
Mr Connors said that his client is stuck in a “constant loop” of offending, prison and release, and nobody has ever tried to intervene.
He did not want his client's time in prison extended and instead asked the court to attach conditions to a suspended sentence so that Mr Byrne has a chance to get help.
Expressing scepticism at the defendant's willingness to take help, Judge Staunton asked: “Is that not what Judge O’Kelly did when he suspended the sentence I gave him?”
However, the judge did impose a 10-month suspended sentence on the condition that the defendant attend any programme directed by the probation service.
That sentence was for handling stolen goods, and all other matters were taken into consideration.
