Three men have pleaded guilty to stealing £270 worth of groceries from M&S.
They also admitted attempting to steal groceries worth £400 from Tesco in Lurgan on the same day – November 30 this year.
Nicolae Florian (26), of Trimleston, Balbriggan; Iulica Napoleon Radulescu (26), of Hamilton Lane in Balbriggan; and Petre Alin Zamfir (21), of Bryanstown Manor, Drogheda, appeared at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on Friday via video link from Maghaberry Prison where they had been on remand.
An interpreter was present in court to provide translation.
A prosecutor said staff at Tesco in Lurgan became suspicious and the defendants abandoned a trolley containing £400 worth of “meat”.
£300 worth of items from M&S were found in the boot of a vehicle.
Defence lawyers said the defendants wished to apologise.
One lawyer said the men were “finding life difficult” and they had travelled to Northern Ireland and had “very foolishly decided to steal food and other household items for themselves and had no intention of selling these on”.
The defendants had spent a number of days on remand in custody.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan said he could take into account the guilty pleas and the fact they had spent time in custody.
He added: “The court has not been made aware of any criminal records for any of them in this jurisdiction.”
Each man was given a three months prison term, suspended for a year.
