*Corofin.
A COROFIN man presented a stolen €15 bag of coal at his local Garda Station after phoning a Garda beforehand to say that he was going to carry out the theft, it has been alleged in court.
At Ennis District Court, solicitor, John Casey for the accused man, James (Jamie) Lally (47) of Newtown, Corofin said that Mr Lally told Garda Andrew Monahan that he was going to carry out the theft as he “needed to get off the streets”.
Mr Casey told Judge Valerie Corcoran that the facts of the case “are so strange, they are unbelievable”.
Mr Lally was appearing in court via video link from Limerick prison where he has been on remand since February 18th when he was first brought to court concerning the theft charge.
Mr Lally was last month remanded in custody to Limerick prison with consent to bail concerning his theft of one €15 bag of coal from Hogans Shop, Market Street, Corofin.
The charge is contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
Explaining to Judge Corcoran the background to the case, Mr Casey said that local Garda for Corofin, Garda Andrew Monahan acts as a social worker and counsellor along with carrying out Garda responsibilities for the wider Corofin community.
Mr Casey said that Mr Lally owns a house but told Garda Monahan that he was going to steal from a shop in order to get arrested for the alleged offence.
Mr Casey said that Garda Monahan told Jamie not to steal from any shop but Jamie told him that he would steal a bottle of whiskey.
Mr Casey said it will be alleged that instead Mr Lally came back to the Garda Station with a sack of coal where he left it on down on the table of the Garda station and told Garda Monahan that he stole it from Hogan’s Shop.
Mr Casey said that Garda Monahan rang the shop and they didn’t even know that the bag of coal was gone.
Mr Lally subsequently appeared in court on the theft charge on February 18th last and is now awaiting the Probation Service to carry out a report on him while he remains in prison.
Judge Corcoran told the Probation Officer in court that she wants the report to be given priority and that contact be made with other services to offer Mr Lally assistance “despite that he wants to be in custody”.
Mr Casey told Mr Lally that if he takes up his bail the Probation Service will find it more difficult to meet him if he is out of prison.
Judge Corcocan adjourned the case for two weeks and further remanded Mr Lally.
Mr Casey commented that “this is more a welfare call than anything else”.
In response, Judge Corcoran said that the Prison Service is not there to provide welfare, it is there to deal with incarcerated people on foot of orders after criminal cases.
Judge Corcoran said that Mr Lally will be sentenced on the next day in court and there will be no further remands in custody.
