Judge considers triggering suspended sentence for Longford defendant

A defendant who is in custody, with a suspended sentence hanging over him, will be assessed by probation services to see if he will have his detention period extended.

Grant Rennie (27) of 1 Beechwood, Clonbalt Woods, Longford was before Longford District Court to have the issue of a triggered suspended sentence resolved.

Mr Rennie received the suspended sentence in July, 2024 for the theft of goods to the value of €730 from DV8 Longford.

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At a previous court sitting the defendant was convicted after pleading guilty before Judge Bernadette Owens to a string of thefts in Longford town.

Earlier this month Judge Owens registered a conviction and imposed a six month custodial sentence for the trespass to commit a theft offence and a further five months for one of the theft charges, with the sentences to run consecutive to each other.

Prior to his last court appearance the defendant had 28 previous convictions, one for burglary and nine for theft. Solicitor Frank Gearty described his client as “highly educated” and said that Mr Rennie previously worked in the pharmacy industry, but “succumbed to heroin addiction”.

Mr Gearty asked the judge to consider “not extending the period of detention” as his client had “suffered the full rigours of the court and was now committed to rehabilitation”.

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The solicitor said Mr Rennie was engaging with addiction services while in prison and asked Judge Owens to consider a probation assessment to track his client's progress with his addiction treatment. The defendant, who appeared via videolink, told the judge that he had not been assessed while in custody.

He echoed Mr Gearty's contention that was “serious” about where he “wants to go in life”.
Judge Owens directed that a probation report be compiled before the matter of the triggered suspended sentence is concluded.

Mr Rennie was remanded in custody in Castlerea Prison, to appear via videolink on April 8, to allow for the preparation of a probation report.