Waterford woman given a sixth-month suspended sentence for shoplifting
Waterford Courthouse
A woman has been given a six-month suspended sentence for shoplifting in Waterford.
Bernadette Lawrence (35), The Rock, Bilberry, Waterford, was convicted of theft contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 at The Range, Waterford Business Park on May 14, 2025.
The court heard that the defendant had been identified in thefts from five shops in Waterford, including Aldi, SuperValu and a pharmacy in Ardkeen.
For the charge located at The Range, the defendant was identified from CCTV stealing three bags of items valued at approximately €200, and the property was not recovered.
All of the thefts were worth more than €100 in value.
The court was told that the defendant had 29 previous convictions, including 14 for theft.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said his client’s last theft was in 2017 and was appealed.
He said she is 35, with seven children and currently pregnant.
The solicitor said Ms Lawrence has several family-related problems, which include a move of home that was “unsuitable for a family of Travellers”.
However, she has now moved back to her family in Cork.
Judge John Cheatle imposed a six-month sentence but suspended it for a year on one charge and took all others into consideration.
