Fintona woman sentenced following off-licence thefts

A FINTONA woman stole alcohol from an off-licence in the town on two occasions, fours weeks apart.

Olive McMenamin (61) of Loughmuck Road was also disorderly, and resisted police when she was being apprehended after the second occasion.

At Omagh Magistrates Court, she was sentenced to four months jail, suspended for 18 months.

On August 8 last year, she stole a bottle of wine worth £8.99 from the off-sales.

Four weeks later, on the afternoon of September 4, she went to the premises again, and was observed leaving with a bottle of wine costing £10, without paying. She claimed to have left the money on the counter. On both occasions, she was recorded on CCTV.

Police went to her address after the second theft, and found the bottle half- filled with wine. On being arrested, she struck an officer, and spilt some wine from a plastic container on herself.

Defence solicitor, Michael Fahy, said it was ‘unfortunate’ that his client was in court ‘at this stage of her life’.

He added, “There has been a ten year gap in offending, and she has been grappling with an underlying alcohol problem for a long number of years. It is a problem that manifests itself from time-to-time. She accepts these matters, and wishes to apologise to the proprietor of the licensed premises, the court, and police for her unruly behaviour. By admitting the offences, there has been no necessity for a court contest.”

Imposing the suspended jail term, District Judge, Peter Prenter, said he gave the defendant credit for her ‘guilty’ pleas, and the gap in her offending.

Addressing McMenamin, the judge said, “I take it as a period of falling off the wagon. There is a history of shoplifting and theft, and some unruly behaviour. Stay out of trouble for a year-and-a-half, is all I can say.”