Cork woman walked out of Dunnes Stores with trolley full of stolen groceries

Court heard accused filled a trolley with groceries valued at €169.11 and left Dunnes in Macroom, passing all payment points without paying

Defendant, who had eight previous convictions, all for theft, was identified by CCTV footage, court told. File picture

A woman filled a trolley with groceries in a busy Cork supermarket and proceeded to walk out of the door with the goods without paying, a recent sitting of Macroom District Court was told.

Sergeant Trish O’Sullivan said Gwen Parr, aged 51, of Coornahahilly, Inchigeelagh, Co Cork, went to Dunnes Stores in Macroom on the morning of September 4, 2025. 

The court heard Parr filled a trolley with groceries valued at €169.11 and left the store, passing all payment points without paying at 10.15am. Parr, who had eight previous convictions, all for theft, was identified by CCTV footage.

Defence solicitor Patrick Goold said Parr had brought compensation to court to repay the injured party. Mr Goold said Parr’s last theft conviction was in 2021, and her offending was linked to depression. 

He said she was the full-time carer for her eight-year-old son, who had severe autism.

Mr Goold said Parr had suffered a relapse of depression brought on by the difficulty in managing her son, which led to the incident. The court was told Parr’s domestic situation had now improved.

Judge John King said in similar circumstances the accused would “normally be looking at the next stage” in terms of penalty but he said Parr’s case was more complex than usual. 

The judge asked for a probation report to be prepared and remanded Parr on continuing bail to appear again on February 4, 2026, to conclude the case.

This article is funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme