Four months in jail for grocery theft

A woman has turned down the opportunity for temporary release in order to remain behind bars and not lose her place on a waiting list for addiction treatment.

“I'm trying to get my life in order,” Ruth Oburu told Judge Patricia Cronin at a recent sitting of Cavan District Court, where the defendant pleaded guilty to stealing €100 worth of groceries and cosmetics from Foy's SuperValu in Cootehill on October 3, 2025.

Oburu appeared in court in custody, with evidence given that the defendant entered the local supermarket at around 10am before adding the goods to a bag and leaving the premises without paying.

Oburu (37), with an address Lodgeview, Cootehill, was later identified by gardaí from CCTV of the incident.

140 previous

She had 140 previous convictions at the time, more than two-thirds (92) of which were for theft.

“Mostly theft,” Sergeant Damien Galligan told the judge, who was informed that Oburu's record stretches back to 2016.

From the body of the court Oburu sought to offer an explanation, saying that her behaviour was spurred by “addiction” issues.

She informed the judge that she is currently second in line within Dublin's Dochas women's prison to be sent forward for addiction rehabilitation support and indicated a willingness to engage in that regard, saying that she had “refused temporary release to go to treatment”.

Judge Cronin imposed a four-month prison sentence on Oburu, to be served concurrently to any existing sentence as it had not been specified that the crime was committed while the defendant was out on bail.

She was offered 14 days to appeal the court's determination, with Judge Cronin wishing Oburu well in her “recovery".

* This article was published with support from the Court Reporting Scheme.