Longford man charged with stealing earphones

Raphael Ezenwaka, 36 Camlin Meadows, Farneyhoogan, Longford appeared before Judge Seamus Hughes charged with stealing earphones valued at €8 from SuperValu, Longford on August 3, 2017.

Inspector Blaithín Moran told the court that on the date in question, the defendant placed the earphones in the pocket of his shirt while he collected other items in his arms.

The defendant paid for the goods, but left the store without paying for the earphones.

It was a genuine mistake on the defendant’s part, the court was told.

Meanwhile, the defendant’s solicitor, Trish Cronin said her client had gone into the store, placed the earphones in the pocket of his shirt and simply forgot to pay for them when he reached the pay point.

“When he was stopped by the security man, Mr Ezenwaka, realised his mistake and explained what had happened,” she added.

“He even offered to pay the money owed for the earphones to the security guard, but he wasn’t having any of it.”

The court then heard that the defendant went voluntarily to the garda station and admitted that he had simply forgotten to pay for them because they were in his pocket and he had been focused on paying for the other items he has collected up.

Judge Hughes also heard that the defendant had been living in Ireland for eight years and had no previous convictions.

During his deliberations on the matter, Judge Hughes said he accepted that the defendant made a mistake on the date in question.

“He seems like a nice person to me,” the Judge added before striking the matter out.