Thief must repay €1,650 to cafe

A man has pleaded guilty to stealing in the region of €1,650 after being offered the use of a staff toilet at a small city centre cafe where he was having a cup of tea and a pancake.

The owners estimated the loss at €1,800 and the summons against the accused specified €1,500, so Judge Leo Malone split the difference and said the man who stole the money would have to come up with €1,650 if he wanted to avoid a jail sentence.

“He was given the facility of using a staff toilet and he abused that facility. If he pays compensation he will get a suspended sentence. If not, he will get a prison sentence,” Judge Malone said at Cork District Court.

Donal Murphy, aged 35, formerly of 166 Sunday’s Well, Cork, and now living at St Vincent’s hostel, Anglesea Terrace, Cork, yesterday admitted the offence of entering the premises as a trespasser and stealing the cash.

Inspector Bill Duane said the theft was committed on March 9, 2011, at a premises on Marlboro St then trading as Bakery Union.

Frank Buttimer, defence solicitor, said the accused was in a state of heroin dependency at the time and could not even say how much money he stole.

Insp Duane said the man came into the cafe and ordered a cup of tea and a pancake, which he paid for. He then asked if he could use a toilet. He was shown a staff toilet. However, CCTV showed he had gone to a staff office and taken €1,500-€1,800 from a cash box in a desk drawer.

The man then returned to the cafe and left afterwards.