Lidl employee convicted of stealing over €2,000
Katarzyna Wlodciczyk, 30, denied the 21 counts of theft during a trial at Cork District Court yesterday, despite having made admissions to a detective garda investigating the case.
Judge Leo Malone said the defendant received advice from her solicitor and then made admissions to Detective Garda Pat Barry which she then denied in court. The judge said: “I have no doubt she is guilty of the offences.”
Inspector Pat Meaney said she was seen on CCTV in the store carrying out refund transactions for various sums of cash at times when there was no customer at her till and no item appearing to be returned.
Judge Malone said: “She is going to have to repay the €2,244 which she stole from Lidl. I will give her plenty of time.
“If that is paid she will be fined, if not she faces a more draconian penalty, namely a prison sentence.”
Mahon Corkery, defence barrister, applied to Judge Malone to dismiss the charges on the basis that she was not seen taking the money from the cash register.
Judge Malone refused this application and said she clearly admitted the offences when questioned about the matter.
The defendant accepted under cross-examination that the gardaí had been nice to her and not threatening in any way when she was at the Garda station.
While accepting this she insisted in the trial yesterday that she took no money and only made admissions because she said: “I was afraid, I was at the Garda station, I was never at a garda station, I tried to finish this as quickly as possible… I thought the best way to explain would be in court.”
Judge Malone put sentencing back for six months to allow the defendant time to gather compensation.
Mr Corkery said the Polish defendant had been living in Ireland for over five years.
