Mother who admitted hiding goods in buggy was on two suspended prison terms

A young mother has appeared in court charged with hiding almost €120 worth of groceries from a Mullingar supermarket in a buggy at a time when she was under two suspended prison sentences.

Twenty-three-year-old Larisa Michile, with an address at Meadowbrook, Willow Park, Athlone, Westmeath appeared at a sitting of Mullingar District Court having pleaded guilty to carrying out the theft at Lidl, Patrick Street, Mullingar, Westmeath on June 21 last.

Ms Michile, the court was told, had only been served with her most recent suspended prison term a sitting of Midleton District Court on May 29, some three weeks before she was apprehended this time by security personnel at the supermarket in Mullingar.

Sgt Orla Keenan gave evidence for the prosecution by revealing how gardaí had been alerted to the incident just after 1pm.

The court heard details of how the accused was observed pushing a young child in a buggy while in the presence of a number of family members.

Judge Bernadette Owens was told Ms Michile was spotted on CCTV walking towards the shop exit and passing all points of payments with €117.58c of items concealed in the buggy while pushing her brother’s one-year-old child.

Security staff stopped the accused.

When gardaí arrived at the scene minutes later, Sgt Keenan said, Ms Michile signed a cautioned memo statement and admitted the theft.

Sgt Keenan said Ms Michile had nine previous convictions, seven of those for theft. Two suspended prison sentences were imposed on Ms Michile, the most recent the six-month suspended sentence at Midleton District Court on May 29.

Andrea Callan, BL, defending, confirmed that her client was pushing a young child in a buggy and that it was her brother’s, not one of her two own children, who were at home in Athlone at the time.

Ms Callan said her client had not attempted to downplay the incident and that all items taken were retrieved in resaleable condition.

Ms Callan said the incident was not typical shoplifting and there was a “more complicated” context.

Despite that, Judge Owens said Ms Michile should have been aware of how she had two suspended sentences “hanging over her” and was now at risk of a custodial prison term.

“That doesn’t give somebody carte blanche either personally or collectively (to commit crime),” said the judge.

Judge Owens was informed of an existing 120 hour community service order imposed in the court in Cork in lieu of four months in prison.

Given Ms Michile’s compliance with that order and with 76 hours of that ruling remaining, Judge Owens ordered a probation report ahead of a possible 100 hour community service order being approved for the Mullingar shoplifting incident.

Ms Michile was remanded on bail to reappear at Mullingar District Court on December 11.