A serial offender has been handed a further 10-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to a series of thefts from stores across Dublin.
Melissa O’Shea (44), of Cushlawn Park in Tallaght, appeared before Judge Patricia McNamara at Tallaght District Court earlier this week, where she admitted to stealing items including clothing, alcohol, cosmetics and household goods from retailers such as Dunnes Stores, Tesco and SuperValu.
Ms O’Shea is currently serving a custodial sentence and is not due for release until June 2026. The court heard she has 47 previous convictions including 38 for theft, five for road traffic offences, three for public order and one for possession of a weapon.
Among the more recent charges was the theft of €103 worth of clothing from Dunnes Stores in The Square Shopping Centre on October 9, 2024. The court heard that security managed to retrieve the items before gardaí arrived. Upon her arrest, O’Shea was also found in possession of €150 worth of stolen cosmetics taken from other stores.
O’Shea pleaded guilty to both offences.
Other offences before the court included the theft of €41 worth of alcohol from Dunnes Stores on October 3, 2024, the theft of vodka from Tesco in Rathfarnham on October 10, and the theft of €68 worth of goods on January 31, 2025.
Ms O’Shea also faced older summonses, including the theft of dishwasher tablets from SuperValu in 2022 and a road traffic offence for driving without insurance or a licence.
Her barrister, Ciara Ní Ghabháin BL, said Ms O’Shea has battled a long-term addiction but is now drug-free, actively engaging with support services in prison and is attending 13 classes a week. She also hopes to join the Tus Nua reintegration programme upon release and sought to deal with all remaining matters to move on with her rehabilitation.
Judge McNamara acknowledged the “extensive” offending history but also noted Ms O’Shea’s positive engagement while in custody. She imposed a 10-month sentence to run consecutively with her existing term. No portion of the sentence was suspended.
“Drugs are at the root of all of this,” the judge remarked during sentencing.
The court also heard that Ms O’Shea had originally been remanded on bail in October 2024 before being committed to custody later that month.