Trio jailed after stealing goods worth thousands from Omagh store

THREE individuals from Belfast were sentenced to prison after stealing over £3,000 worth of clothing from Sports Direct in Omagh.

Liam Duffin (41) of Cairns Street, Martha McDaniel (62) of Devenish Court, and Thomasina McDaniel (41) of Conway Street, faced two counts of theft each when they appeared before Omagh Magistrates Court last Tuesday.

On October 9, 2023, Sports Direct Omagh staff reported missing stock. CCTV footage revealed that two days earlier, at 2pm, the defendants were seen walking around the store, discreetly removing electronic tags from clothing items out of the camera’s view before leaving without paying. The stolen goods were valued at £2,088 and were not recovered.

On December 2, a second incident occurred when staff recognised the same trio in the store.

Police arrived and found the defendants with additional stolen items worth £1,500, which were recovered.

Defence counsel Eamann Donnelly, representing Duffin, stated that the defendants accepted their offence. He cited a pre-sentence report indicating a medium likelihood of reoffending for Duffin.

The solicitor suggested a suspended sentence, which was supported by Ciaran Roddy and Fionnghuala O’Neill, representing the McDaniels.

However, District Judge Ted Magill disagreed with the pre-sentence report’s suggestion that the theft was ‘opportunistic’. He believed the theft was for financial gain by selling the stolen products.

Judge Magill noted the significant criminal records of Duffin and Martha McDaniel, who had nearly 100 convictions between them, including thefts.

He also highlighted Duffin’s record for hijacking and robbery, while acknowledging Thomasina McDaniel’s clean record.

The prosecution requested compensation for the unrecovered £2,088 from the October 9 theft, but Judge Magill dismissed this, citing the defendants’ receipt of benefits as making repayment unlikely.

Duffin and Martha McDaniel were sentenced to four months in prison, while Thomasina McDaniel received a two-month sentence due to her lack of prior convictions. All three were released on their own bail of £100 pending appeal.