A Cork man and serial thief who has admitted to two counts of shoplifting was spared a jail sentence by the court after telling about his charitable works, including captaining an Irish soccer team for a charity soccer contest in Portugal.
John Paul Long, a Cork native, pleaded guilty to the theft at a Lidl in November 2020, where he robbed €62 worth of candles. He also pleaded guilty to robbing €74 worth of goods from a Mr. Price on Cork’s main street.
According to Garda Sergeant Gearóid Davis, the suspect had 69 previous convictions, including two for theft.
The defendant’s solicitor argued that his client had done substantial work to raise money for charities, including fundraising cycles for Cork Penny Dinners, and captaining the Ireland soccer team for a Portugal charitable event. The solicitor also claimed that the defendant had paid back all of the money stolen from Lidl and Mr. Price.
While Judge Olann Kelleher imposed a 4 month sentence on the defendant for his crimes, this sentence was suspended on the condition that the suspect would live within the law for the next two years.
““You will do the four months if you commit any further offences in the next two years. Despite the charitable work you are doing you cannot take the property of the people of Cork City,” the judge said.