'Not very accomplished burglar' jailed for twice stealing whiskey from same pub
A “not very accomplished burglar” with 177 previous convictions has been jailed for 16 months for twice stealing whiskey from the same pub.
Edward Wall (46), who has 68 convictions for burglaries alone, was first caught on CCTV entering an area of the pub closed to the public and stealing six bottles of Jameson Whiskey valued at €360.
Staff uncovered the theft “by happenstance” while reviewing CCTV to see why a fire alarm had gone off.
Wall returned two days later and stole a further six bottles of whiskey. No items were recovered.
Wall, of Whitebrook Park, Tallaght, Dublin pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to two burglaries at The Well, St Stephens Green, Dublin 2 on January 8 and 10, 2020.
Garda Natasha Doherty told Derek Cooney BL, prosecuting, that Wall was arrested on January 11, 2020 the day after the second burglary and has been in custody since then.
Gda Doherty agreed with Dean Kelly BL, defending, that there had been no confrontation with staff and the theft was discovered by “happenstance.”
Mr Kelly said his client had a long-seated drug addiction and a great deal of his offending was linked to that.
Judge Martin Nolan noted Wall's record of conviction and said he was “not a very accomplished burglar in that he seems to get caught a lot”.
He said Wall “undoubtedly has problems” and steals to feed a drug habit. He said this was “as inoffensive as a burglary could be” but noted burglary was a serious offence.
Judge Nolan noted time in prison was more challenging at the moment with no family visits due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He imposed a 16-month sentence backdated to reflect time already spent in custody.
