This article is from page 74 of the 2008-11-11 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 74 JPG
A DEFENDANT who had 113 pre- vious convictions told a judge he thought he was allowed to take off- cuts of steel from a Shannon factory.
Darren Mason of Oliver Plunkett Street, St Mary’s Park in Limer- ick, pleaded guilty at Ennis District Court to taking the off-cuts from the Lasercut premises at Smithstown In- dustrial Estate.
Judge Leo Malone heard that when gardai arrived, the accused was load- ing some lengths of steel on to his truck. He had not been given permis- sion to take to steel, the court heard.
His solicitor, Ted McCarthy, told the court that Mason’s father works collecting scrap and he had been asked by his father to go to Shannon to collect a scrapped car.
“When he arrived, the person he needed to see about the car wasn’t there but members of the household suggested to him that if he was look- ing for scrap, he might find some at this premises in Smithstown”’.
He added that when the gardai ar- rived, he explained that he thought the metal was just being scrapped.
“These were not full lengths of steel, they were off-cuts,’ Mr Mc- Carthy said.
The judge heard that all of Mason’s previous convictions were Road Traffic offences and none were for theft. The solicitor said his client 1s not working and has five children to Support.
The judge imposed a fine of €350 for the theft charge and took a charge under the Public Order act into con- sideration.