Woman, 30, with 321 convictions sent to jail

A woman with more than 300 previous convictions has been sentenced to 21 months’ imprisonment for a number of thefts in Tralee and Killarney during the Rose of Tralee festival last year.

Noreen O’Driscoll, aged 30, of Gerald Griffin St, Cork City, pleaded guilty yesterday at Tralee District Court to three counts of theft.

They involved the theft of a mobile phone worth €200 at ‘€2 Shop’, The Square, Tralee on Aug 23; the theft of Xanax tablets from Costello’s Chemist, Russell St, four days later, and the theft of €55 from a handbag in Gleeson’s shop, Killarney, the following day.

The mobile phone was recovered after she attempted to sell it at a ‘Cash For Gold’ shop, the court was told.

A number of public order charges were withdrawn.

Among her 321 previous convictions, 93 were for theft, the court heard yesterday.

Pleading for leniency, solicitor Padraig O’Connell said O’Driscoll grew up in Cork City. She had left school at the age of 13 and become addicted to alcohol. Her mother was extremely ill.

She had fully cooperated with gardaí and told them she was sorry for wasting their time.

She had been attending the Rose of Tralee festival with friends, he said. She also suffered from depression which accounted for the Xanax.

However, she was engaged to be married and this would happen sometime after her release which was due on Aug 11, Mr O’Connell said.

Judge James O’Connor described O’Driscoll’s record as “appalling” and he sentenced her to a total of 21 months — eight months for the theft of the phone, seven months for the Xanax and six for the €55 theft to run consecutively.

With over 300 previous convictions, “it becomes a joke”, he remarked. He had taken some time before he accepted jurisdiction of the case, putting the matter back to yesterday’s sitting.

O’Driscoll, also with an address in Carlow, appeared in custody having been sentenced to six months already in Cork District Court.