A woman who stole clothes from an Armagh shop two days in a row has been handed a suspended sentence.
Pauline Georgina Maughan (25), of McCrea Park, Clogher, appeared before Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Newry Courthouse on Tuesday.
She was charged with two counts of theft.
At the outset of the hearing, the charges were read to Maughan and she was asked if she wished to go for trial or have the case dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court.
She opted for the latter and entered a guilty plea to the charges.
The court was then told by the Prosecution that the charges related to two incidents on July 13 and July 14 last year.
At Sports Direct in Armagh, staff had reported a theft involving two females who had entered the store, one of whom was identified as the defendant.
CCTV showed her taking Nike shorts and a Nike T-shirt, before leaving the store and making no attempt to pay.
Both females were observed leaving the area in a white Vauxhall Insignia.
The following day, at the same store, there was a report of a second theft involving the same people.
They entered the store and CCTV showed them both leaving with multiple items of clothing.
The court heard the defendant left without making any attempt to pay for a Nike hoodie, a jacket and Adidas shorts.
They then left in the same vehicle as the previous day.
Police conducted a search at an address to which they vehicle was registered, where they located some of the items.
The defendant, who lived at the address, attended Armagh Police Station to be interviewed, where she made no comment.
A defence lawyer then asked for “significant credit” for the defendant, who had entered a guilty plea at an early opportunity.
He added that the defendant’s last theft was in 2019, stating: “She understands that shops are plagued by this type of conduct. It happens on an habitual basis day after day by the same perpetrators and the court has to mark the seriousness of that.”
Deputy District Judge O’Hare commented: “Because this was on two consecutive days and because there was a degree of planning and sophistication in the operation, I can’t just deal with it by way of a fine.”
He imposed a two-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, alongside a compensation order for £180.98.
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