‘You don’t want to work, you’d prefer to be robbing’

A man who has at least 93 previous convictions was sentenced to seven months in jail at Tralee District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to stealing cash from a Killarney shop.

Tony Coffey, aged 27, of No 9 Cahereens West, Castleisland, currently serving a sentence for assault , pleaded guilty to the theft that occurred on April 16 last year. He went in the side door of Gala Supermarket, High St, Killarney, went upstairs, and stole €300 cash from a float till. He also stole a bottle of wine valued at €9, said Sgt Kieran O’Connell, prosecuting.

Mr Coffey’s solicitor Padraig O’Connell said his client, who probably had no recollection of the event, just walked in the door and up the stairs where he came across the money.