Stole for heroin addiction

A HEROIN addict who stole from stores in Dungannon to feed her addiction has been jailed.

Joanne Caffrey (32) of Sloan Street, and a male accomplice, stole five indoor security cameras worth £125.95 from the Lidl store, and a 50” Toshiba TV, worth £450, from the Tesco Store. She received jail terms of three months and two months to run consecutively, when she appeared before the town’s Magistrates Court.

On both occasions, the duo walked out of the stores without paying for the goods. They carried the 50” Toshiba out together.

Defence barrister Blaine Nugent said Caffrey was not in breach of any order when she committed the offences, but has received suspended sentences since then. He added that there was no sophistication involved in the thefts.

Mr Nugent stated, “This is to feed and sustain a drug habit. It is a very sad state of affairs, but there is no reason shop keepers have to suffer this, and they do suffer. She is still with negatives peers and is unfortunately addicted to heroin at the moment, which is a very sad outcome. She is not able to sustain any period of sobriety.”

Mr Nugent acknowledged the items were ‘of value’, and said when they took the television, the security guard just took it back off them and walked them back into the shop.

Caffrey’s accomplice has not yet been dealt with by the courts.

Imposing the jail term, District Judge Michael Ranaghan said she has a ‘poor record for someone her age’.

He added that had it not been for the submission of the defence, the sentence would have been in the region of nine months.

Mr Nugent later applied for bail to appeal the sentence. Bail was granted in the sum of £750 for the appeal at the County Court.