Man with 'horrific track record' of thefts jailed for stealing wine from Cork's Imperial Hotel

The judge said the man's convictions 'must be up there with the worst theft record in Cork city'

The court heard William O’Driscoll entered the Imperial Hotel and went through closed doors into the bar and stole the four bottles of wine. File picture: Irish Examiner

A 41-year-old man carried out a burglary at the Imperial Hotel in Cork by going behind a bar which was off-limits to the public and stealing four bottles of wine valued €173.

Now at Cork District Court, William O’Driscoll of no fixed address has been jailed for 10 months for this and other thefts around Cork city. Sergeant Ciarán Kelleher said the burglary at the hotel on South Mall, Cork, occurred on September 11.

At around midnight on that date, William O’Driscoll entered the hotel and went through closed doors into the bar and stole the four bottles of wine, the sergeant told Judge Olann Kelleher.

Between June and this month he committed a number of thefts, including the theft of jacket and shorts from one city centre premises, the theft of €50 worth of alcohol at Lidl at Cornmarket Street, the theft of Smirnoff vodka at Aldi in the Elysian, and the theft of a €230 Nike tracksuit from JD Sports on St Patrick’s Street, Cork.

While all of those offences were committed in recent months, there was one other theft dating back to February 2022 when the accused put a shirt down his pants and left the Diesel store on Oliver Plunkett Street without paying for it.

Alcohol difficulties

Defence solicitor, Frank Buttimer, said: “He is a chronic alcoholic. Most of his offences involve theft of alcohol. His alcohol difficulties are going on for years. He really needs to address his alcohol difficulties. He has never done so in any meaningful way.” 

The accused has family in Cork city and in Killarney and was estranged from family based in the UK, the solicitor said. Sergeant Kelleher said the accused had 232 previous convictions including 65 for theft.

Judge Olann Kelleher said: “I will take into consideration his horrific track record of convictions — 65 for theft, which must be up there with the worst theft record in Cork city. One can only imagine the difficulties he causes for shopkeepers.”