Addict may not live to complete prison sentence

A cocaine addict who has been jailed for three years for using stolen laser bank cards to buy cash and goods totalling €6,672 in value may not live to complete the prison sentence.

Catherine Lambert (aged 31), of Lower Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8, has serious health problems and her life expectancy might be shorter than three years unless treatment is successful, Ms Marie Torrens BL, defending, told Judge Micheal White,

Lambert, a mother of a 10-year-old son, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to seven counts each of theft of the laser cards and of using them fraudulently between May 18 and June 9, 2005. She has 86 previous convictions dating back to 1993, all relating to similar type of crimes.

Ms Torrens said Lambert had never been in jail before she was remanded in custody for this offence.

Judge White said it was "an unforunate and tragic case" but added that when he earlier released Lambert on bail pending sentence she immediately became involved in the same criminal activity. He said the only option he had was to order that should her health deteriorate further she should be considered for early release.

Sergeant Brian Duffy told Mr Stephen McCann BL, prosecuting, that Lambert never used violence during the thefts and her victims weren’t aware that their wallets had been stolen until later.

Sgt Duffy told Mr McCann that they were alerted to Lambert when she returned to a shop to attempt to use one of the stolen laser cards a second time. The manager was called out to deal with her but Lambert quickly left and was spotted been driven off in a taxi.

Receipts relating to the purchases from the stolen cards where later found in her home. She admitted to stealing the cards and using them on a number of occasions to get cash and goods.

Sgt Duffy agreed with Ms Torrens that Lambert had a "very serious cocaine habit" for the last 14 years and accepted that she had never been convicted of any violent crime.