Suspended sentence revoked as man returned after deportation

A Romanian man who was jailed for multiple thefts in 2023 has had a suspended portion of that sentence activated after he failed to remain out of the country for 10 years on his release from prison.

Constantine Ghetu (35), formerly of Portersfield, Clonsilla, Dublin 15, was jailed for five years in 2023, with the final three years suspended on the condition that he leave the country and not return for 10 years.

He was jailed for a total of 23 thefts, mainly of alcohol from Lidl and Aldi stores nationwide on dates between November 2021 and September 2022.

He reappeared before Judge Kenneth Connolly at Mullingar Circuit Court, where Garda Karen Coughlan outlined how Mr Ghetu had amassed a further 25 charges of theft nationwide, “similar to his previous convictions”.

Those charges refer to thefts from Lidl and Aldi stores, mainly of high end alcohol, she said. The earliest of those new charges is dated May 24, 2025.

Mr Ghetu was released from prison on September 16, 2024, and was directed to leave the country within 10 days.

“I believe he left and came back. He left again in July 2025 and came back again since. It seems he just appears out of nowhere,” said Gda Coughlan.

“I believe in July he may have had an interaction with gardaí and was taken back to his home country, but returned again in September.”

He was arrested on November 21 of this year, the court heard.

Seán O’Quigley, BL, defending, noted that Mr Ghetu’s mother is a long-term resident of Ireland, and that his wife and children returned to Romania while he was in prison.

“My instructions are that, upon release, he was immediately deported and didn’t have the 10 days to get his affairs in order. And he did have some affairs,” said Mr O’Quigley.

“He returned to the jurisdiction to collect items of clothing belonging to his children and to set his affairs in order.

“He’s prepared to leave the jurisdiction again and instructs those matters (the new charges) will be fully contested.

“He says the items were collected from his mother’s house and belonged to him and his children. He’s asking the court to afford him some time for the District Court matters to resolve themselves.”

Judge Connolly noted that Mr Ghetu had been deported after his release from prison and said he returned on November 20, 2025, the day before he was arrested.

“He was very unfortunate on November 21. I think the evidence of the garda was that charges relate to dates between May 2025 and November 2025,” he said.

He noted that the defendant enjoys the presumption of innocence on those charges until they are finalised.

Mr Ghetu has a total of 50 previous convictions for theft, which Judge Connolly said was “a shocking and appalling record for theft”.

“It’s difficult to believe his instruction to his counsel, and it’s difficult to believe he’d arrive on November 20 and be arrested the very next day,” said Judge Connolly.

He proceeded to revoke the suspension of the three-year sentence and directed Mr Ghetu be returned to prison to serve the remainder of the sentence.