Crack cocaine addict accused of carrying out three burglaries in Cork City 'to feed his addiction'

Accused robbed opticians and phone shop and attempted to rob cafe but till was empty, court heard

Accused told gardaí he committed the offences to feed his addiction.

A crack cocaine addict using more than €1,000 worth of this drug in the past week is accused of carrying out three burglaries at commercial premises — and gardaí objected to bail because of concerns for the community.

Garda Kevin Roche outlined the prosecution issues, with bail being granted to 41-year-old Aymen Barkaoui, with an address at Barrack Street, Cork.

One of the grounds for the objection to bail at Cork District Court was what the garda described as the seriousness of the charges.

Garda Roche said: “At 3.48am on September 26, it is alleged the suspect forced the door of the Green Frog Cafe on Western Road and stole €600 from the till.

“At 10.50am on September 28, it is alleged the suspect went behind the counter of Nu10 phone shop on Oliver Plunkett Street and stole €200 from the till. No cash was recovered.

“At 2pm on September 28, he was searched and found in possession of three pairs of glasses — total value €530 — and he admitted he was planning to sell same to buy crack cocaine. They were returned to Specsavers, Opera Lane.

“At 7.45pm on September 28, he forced the door of The Green Frog cafe on Western Road and tampered with the till in exactly the same way as the first incident, but there was no money in the till and he left empty-handed.

“He is a self-confessed addict. He said to gardaí that his addiction is out of control — crack cocaine. He is committing offences to feed his addiction.

“Gardaí don’t believe he is able to control his addictions at this stage and that he poses a risk to the community. We are concerned about the extreme level of offending in a short period of time.”

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said the accused had no previous convictions, he has been in Ireland for the past two years and working full-time, has an address on Barrack Street and was “more than cooperative in relation to the investigation”.

Judge Philip O’Leary said: “The court is concerned about his addiction and he is alleged to have a lot of matters but I will grant bail on strict conditions.” 

Conditions include requirements to reside at his home on Barrack Street, sign on with gardaí three times a week, surrender any travel documents, abstain from intoxicants in public, engage with addiction services and stay away from the premises referred to in the charges.

The case was adjourned until November 25 to allow time for directions to be obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions.