Eight more months for theft

A Dublin man will serve a further eight months at the conclusion of his current prison sentence after he was convicted of driving a stolen car on fake plates to a Cavan hardware business to pick up goods on a dodgy charge account.

When Laurence Porter (26) arrived to Gould’s Homevalue in Ballinagh on August 12, 2024, he found the gardaí waiting for him after the local business owner copped that the attempt to purchase items was similar to a prior phoney transaction.

Porter, from Garryowen Road, Ballyfermot, last week appeared before Judge Raymond Finnegan at a sitting of Cavan District Court via video link from Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison where he is currently serving out a sentence, with a due release scheduled for November.

He was charged with possession of a stolen MPV, of driving on false plates, and with no licence or insurance at Gould’s Homevalue, Ballinagh. He also pleaded to failing to give his name and address to gardaí when requested at Cavan Garda Station, and with a separate theft of €506 worth of coal from North Pole Fuels in Cavan Town on January 23, 2024.

A co-accused - Edward McBride (49), of Cherry Orchard, Ballyfermot - was sentenced on the North Pole Fuels charge at an earlier court date, receiving a four-month jail term.

Poter pleaded guilty to his offences back on March 18, and appeared again for finalisation last week. He was represented by barrister Dimitri Grinberg BL.

The court heard that the owner of Gould’s received a call on August 28, 2024, that raised suspicions, and he contacted the gardaí after the payment failed to go through.

Two men arrived to the business a short time later, one of whom was Porter. Also present were members of An Garda Siochána, who subsequently discovered that the vehicle being driven by the defendant had been stolen days before, and was being driven now on “false plates”.

Porter had 12 previous convictions, his most recent recorded in June 2022 for the sale and supply of drugs for which he received a six-month suspended sentence. Other priors relate to road traffic matters.

Mr Grinberg said his client had been in stable employment up until around three years ago when he was involved in a serious traffic accident. Following this he started abusing drugs and his “life went in a bad direction”.

It was stated in respect of the North Poles theft that the good were not recovered.

“A small business at a loss of over €500,” remarked Judge Finnegan.

Mr Grinberg said his client would offer compensation but for the fact he is in prison.

Judge Finnegan imposed a six-year ban on the no insurance charge, as well as imposing a €500 fine, payable forthwith, with five days imprisonment in default.

On the possession of false plates, he imposed a four-month prison sentence, and a consecutive four months for the theft from North Poles Fuels, with all other matters taken into account.

The judge said he thought it “appropriate” to impose consecutive sentences, to be served at the expiry of Porter’s current term, based on the number of hearing dates taken on this case, as well as bench warrants issued.

Recognisances were fixed in the event of an appeal.