Cork man caught searching van also stole bolt cutters and groceries, court hears

The court was told that Mark Foley had 86 previous convictions including 17 for theft and seven for burglary

Clonakilty District Court heard that the accused had faced 'a number of disadvantages in his life' and had been a heroin addict which was related to most of his convictions. File picture: Dan Linehan

A Cork man who was caught searching through a parked van in West Cork also admitted to two separate thefts, the district court has heard.

Court presenter Sergeant Tom Mulcahy told Clonakilty District Court that Mark Foley, aged 33, of College Road, Clonakilty, was charged with two counts of theft and one count of unauthorised interference with the mechanism of a vehicle.

The court heard that on July 8, 2025, Foley went to West Cork Builder’s Providers in Clonakilty where he picked up a bolt cutters before leaving the premises and passing all payment points without paying for the item. The bolt cutters valued at €54.95 were not recovered and Foley did not compensate the store for the loss.

On the same day, in the car park of West Cork Builder’s Providers Foley searched the pockets and glove box of a Volkswagen Transporter van that was parked outside the store. The owner had left the window of the van open and Foley searched the vehicle through the open window but did not take anything. Foley admitted searching the van and was recorded on CCTV doing so.

The court also heard that Foley went into the Aldi supermarket in Blackpool, Cork City on February 25, 2025. On that occasion he took groceries valued at €32.38 and left the store passing all payment points but not paying for the goods. 

The court was told that Foley had 86 previous convictions including 17 for theft and seven for burglary.

Foley, who is currently serving a prison sentence and appeared by video link from Cork Prison, said that his brother had been murdered and his father passed away and he “went on a rampage”. He said that he had been struggling with drug addiction but had since begun treatment and wanted to deal with the charges he faced so he could “get back to seeing my kids”.

Defence solicitor, Myra Dinneen, said that Foley had faced “a number of disadvantages in his life” and had been a heroin addict which was related to most of his convictions. She said that Foley was now dealing with his addiction issues.

Judge Joanne Carroll said that Foley had done very well so far and urged him to stay off drugs and reunite with his family. 

For the theft of the bolt cutters he was sentenced to three months in prison backdated to the beginning of the sentence he is currently serving. The Aldi theft was taken into consideration and for interfering with a vehicle he was placed on a probation bond for 12 months on condition he continues with drug addiction treatment.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme