By 
“THIS was just very silly,” said a judge after a man from Omagh stole an inflatable penguin from a local store.
Charlie Ward (35), of Glenelly Gardens, appeared before Omagh Magistrates Court on Tuesday and was fined £100 for the theft of the novelty item.
The court heard that on November 21, a store manager who recognised Ward from a previous incident was monitoring him as he walked through the aisles.
At around 3.30pm, Ward picked up a boxed inflatable penguin worth £24.99, removed it from the packaging, and left the shop without paying.
Police were called and located Ward the same day.
When questioned, he admitted the theft and produced the penguin – still intact and, according to the prosecution, ‘fit for resale’. Defence counsel Michael Roche, instructed by solicitor Patrick Roche, told the court the act ‘lacked sophistication’ and that Ward had simply ‘just seen’ the item.
Judge Magill said, “Seriously? An inflatable penguin? This was just a very silly thing to do.”
Mr Roche said that Ward had a ‘limited record’ but entered an early guilty plea to the offence.
Ward was fined £100 for the theft.