Suspended sentence for theft of sandwich

A Cavan man, with 135 convictions already to his name, risks being sent to prison for two months if he commits another crime within the next six months, after committing a petty theft.

William Kelly (46) with an address at Killymooney Drive, Cavan Town, pleaded guilty to the theft of a €4 sandwich from Centra, Drumalee, on April 28, 2025.

Before Cavan District Court, Judge Ciaran Liddy was told that Kelly entered the shop and took the sandwich and left without paying.

The incident was captured on CCTV and Kelly, who has 18 prior convictions for theft, was identified by gardaí from the footage.

Kelly, who has previous also for robbery, seven for burglary, and dozens for intoxication and threatening behaviour in a public place, was represented in court by solicitor Damien Rudden.

The defence solicitor informed the court that his client was in a “really bad place” at the time - just out of prison and not long after learning that his son had been seriously assaulted.

He said that Kelly has a long and storied history of drug and alcohol abuse, noting also that he has been receiving treatment at Cavan General and is awaiting a place on a residential treatment programme in Carlow.

Mr Rudden concluded by saying that Kelly maintains he returned to the shop at a later date to compensate for the loss, however there was no receipt available in court to prove the claim.