Homeless couple stole more than €7,000 worth of clothes to feed drug addiction

A homeless couple who together stole a total of €7,595 of stock from a clothing store in order to feed their drug addiction have received partially suspended sentence.

Keelin Doyle (29) and Liam Dowds (38) stole the items in eight separate thefts from River Island on Dublin’s Grafton Street in four weeks. They made no attempt to disguise themselves nor did they threaten staff. They walked into the store, lifted the merchandise and left without paying.

Doyle was sent forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on signed pleas of guilty from the District Court in relation to seven charges of shoplifting on dates between August 23rd, 2019 and September 13th, 2019. The mother of one has nine previous theft convictions.

Dowds, who is originally from Belfast, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to eight charges of shoplifting on dates between August 19th, 2019 and September 13th, 2019.

He worked alone the first time he stole the items from the shop. Dowds has one previous conviction for a road traffic offence.

Judge Melanie Greally sentenced Doyle to 18 months in prison with the final six months suspended, while she sentenced Dowds to 15 months with the final six months suspended, having taken into account the fact that he has less convictions.

Garda Andrew Keane told Garret Baker BL, prosecuting, the couple were “caught in the act” stealing the items on September 15th, 2019. They were later nominated as suspects in their earlier thefts after CCTV footage was viewed.

They were arrested and both said they were selling the clothes to get money to feed their drug addictions.

Gda Keane agreed with Luigi Rea BL, defending Doyle, that there was no confrontation with staff in the store.

He accepted a suggestion from Pieter Le Vert BL, defending Dowds, that the couple made no attempt to disguise themselves.

Garda Keane also accepted that the couple have been remanded in custody since their arrest and both look better today than they did in September last year.

Mr Rea said his client’s previous offending relates to her drug addiction. He said she has a young daughter who she hopes to be able to have a proper relationship with in the future.

Mr Le Vert said his client comes from a respectable family in Belfast and had worked all his life until he began taking drugs at the age of 33 when a long-term relationship broke down.

“He found himself in a situation that he never thought he could envisage, addicted to drugs, “ Mr Le Vert said before he added that Dowds moved to Dublin where he soon became homeless and fully addicted to drugs.

Counsel said Dowds has used his time in custody well, is considered an exemplary prisoner and is drug free.

Judge Greally said there was a significant amount of valuable merchandise taken which she said, “was undoubtedly a source of considerable concern for a shop”.

“Shoplifting at that level is something that has to be regarded seriously because of its impact on the viability of business,” she continued.

She accepted the couple’s motivation was their drug addiction.

She said that things seemed to have “gone awry” for Dowds, noting the disintegration of his family relationships since he started abusing drugs. She described it as “a stark tale” of the impact of drug addiction.