Mother freed after plea to attend son's Communion to miss ceremony after theft spree

By Gordon Deegan

A Shannon mother is back behind bars and will miss her son’s First Holy Communion tomorrow after being caught stealing kids clothes from Dunnes Stores two days before the celebration.

Last week, Judge Patrick Durcan freed Amanda Hayes (27) on bail after desperate pleas from the mother of two that she be allowed out of jail to be able to attend her son’s First Holy Communion tomorrow in Shannon.

The serial thief had spent the previous six weeks in jail on remand at Limerick prison after a spate of drug fuelled thefts around Shannon, including stealing the contents of a Trócaire and an Irish Heart Foundation charity collection box from an Insomnia coffee outlet in Shannon in February.

Ms Hayes begged Judge Durcan to be let out of jail for her son’s communion and wrote a letter to him expressing her wish.

However, only nine days after being released from custody, Ms Hayes is back in jail after a thieving spree in the Shannon Skycourt centre on Thursday.

A deflated looking Ms Hayes was back before Ennis District Court today where she was remanded in custody only 24 hours before the long anticipated family occasion in Shannon today.

Arising from her stealing spree, Ms Hayes is charged with stealing kids’ clothes and shoes valued at €52 from Dunnes Stores in Shannon Skycourt Centre on Thursday.

During the spate of thefts, Ms Hayes also stole a Black Adidas top and pants valued at €124 from Lifestyle Sports and clothing and footwear from Dealz valued at €75.

Ms Hayes’s solicitor, Daragh Hassett said that his client will be entering a guilty plea to the charges.

Ms Hayes said “I’m sorry” in reply to the Lifestyle Sports theft and no reply to the other two thefts.

Insp Kieran Ruane told the court that the Gardai would be strongly objecting to bail and Mr Hassett said that there would be no application for bail.

Insp Ruane said that Ms Hayes could be remanded in custody to next Wednesday’s sitting of Ennis District Court.

Mr Hassett said that the State could re-enter the raft of other cases against Ms Hayes on that date and that she could be sentenced on all of the cases that day.

A long time drug addict, Ms Hayes lost her own mother at the age of 11 in a car accident.

Making the plea last week for Ms Hayes to be released for her son’s communion, solicitor for Ms Hayes, Shiofra Hassett said that being released from jail for the First Holy Communion is the first thing that Ms Hayes says to her in any consultation.

Ms Hassett said: “Ms Hayes has said that she is extremely anxious to be able to attend this event. She had quite a difficult childhood and is very conscious that she should be there for those important moments in her own children’s lives."

Ms Hassett said that Ms Hayes knows that she has let her two children down in the past “and the possibility that she won’t be there for an important moment in her child’s life has led to bring some awakening over the last number of weeks”.

Ms Hassett admitted that the thefts at the Insomnia outlet were “despicable in nature”.

She said: “They occurred at a time when her addiction got the better of her and at a time when her addiction was at an all time low.”

Ms Hayes has 23 previous theft convictions and is now on a methadone programme.

Last week Judge Durcan released Ms Hayes from jail and remanded her on bail to October and a condition of bail was that Ms Hayes comply with all directions of the Probation Service.

Judge Durcan warned Ms Hayes that if she steps out of line, she will serve an eight month jail term for the thefts.