A 76-year-old criminal with a record 458 previous convictions has had two months added to his current prison sentence, after repeatedly stealing food items from a convenience store in south Dublin.
Paddy McCann (76), of no fixed abode, who is currently serving a sentence for similar matters, pleaded guilty at Dún Laoghaire District Court to theft, criminal damage, trespassing and public order offences.
The court heard McCann admitted three separate thefts from a Mace store in Sandymount over a five-day period in March 2025, during which he stole Lindt chocolate, Magnum ice-cream, a can of Club Lemon and a steak and kidney pudding.
The court heard that on March 3, 2025, McCann was found highly intoxicated at Applegreen on the Stillorgan Road, Blackrock, where he became abusive and told gardaí to “f**k off”.
The charges also included criminal damage and trespass arising from a separate incident on March 11 at a property on Newbridge Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4.
Judge Anne Watkin said the case represented a “chronic situation” and described McCann’s offending as cyclical.
Defence solicitor, Andy Vallely, told the court that his client is a chronic alcoholic with significant health issues, including heart problems, and has a very difficult personal background.
He said McCann is “very affable when sober” but that his behaviour becomes a “Jekyll and Hyde” situation when he is drinking.
Judge Watkin said there was little more the court could do in circumstances where previous interventions had failed.
She imposed a further two-month sentence for the theft charges to run consecutively to McCann’s current term, with all other matters taken into account.