Limerick woman's accomplice wrote letter 'taking the hit' for crimes, court hears

A WOMAN who lost twin babies and later fell into a “state of addiction” is to be sentenced at Limerick Circuit Court following a spate of theft offences.

The defendant, who has an address in Limerick, came before Judge Colin Daly after entering a number of signed guilty pleas in relation to these matters.

Prosecuting barrister John O’Sullivan informed the court that the accused, now aged 38, is to be convicted following her involvement in robbery and burglary offences.

She has been in the custody of Limerick Prison for seven months.

Judge Daly heard that on January 3 of this year, the defendant and an accomplice entered the clothing store Diesel, located on Bedford Row before its closure, at 5:55 in the evening.

She approached a staff member with a query while the co-accused, a man who has since been convicted of this offence, began picking up items of clothing. The manager became suspicious of the pair and closed the shop doors.

After some back and forth, they both attempted to exit the store without paying. The man had an “arm full” of clothing, valued at €300. When the manager tried to stop the two, he then threatened this worker with a pair of scissors, it was heard.

In fear of being stabbed, the manager then opened the doors again and let them leave. However, her husband, who was outside the shop and waiting for her to finish work, subsequently grabbed the man. The defendant then jumped on the bystander, shouting: “Leave him, he has scissors.”

The co-accused dropped €200 worth of the stolen clothing while the defendant continued shouting, saying he (co-accused) was sick and to “leave him alone” because he was "schizophrenic.”

They both made away with some of the stock. The manager’s arm was grabbed during this ordeal which “hurt,” while her husband sustained a “scrape” to his right wrist, both carried out by the accused.

The manager was given the opportunity to make a victim impact statement, which she subsequently declined.

Judge Daly heard that during a burglary in August of 2025, the Limerick woman acted as a “look-out” for this same accomplice while he entered an apartment on William Street as the occupant slept. They made off with car-related items that were not recovered.

She was also before Limerick Circuit Court on signed theft pleas, for offences which took place between May 2025 and January 2026.

The stolen items included a €28 leg of lamb from Aldi on Roches Street, €90.04 of meat products from Dunnes Stores at Harvey’s Quay and a €52 perfume from O’Sullivan’s Pharmacy, located on Sarsfield Street, among others. They have also not been recovered.

Garda Shane Stanley informed the court that after her arrest and subsequent garda interview, the defendant was “relatively co-operative.”

The accused has a number of previous convictions, including for theft, road traffic matters and intoxication in a public place.

When cross-examining the garda, defence barrister Erin O’Hagan said these offences “tell a tale” of a woman who was struggling with addiction.

During the details of the Diesel store robbery, she put it to Judge Daly that her client was “unaware” this incident would escalate and that she was simply there to “distract” the worker, much like during the burglary, where her role was to act as “look-out.”

The defendant, who is in custody on these matters, has seven children. She had been granted High Court bail previously, which has since been revoked.

Members of the woman’s family were present in court, along with a support worker.

In mitigation, Ms O’Hagan informed the court that her client lost twin babies and had to organise their funerals. Her youngest child is now 16-months-old and “doesn’t even really know her” due to her time in custody.

A letter was presented to Judge Daly which, it was heard, demonstrates “positive changes” in the accused.

As well as this, the defendant has an enhanced prisoner status, works in the laundry department of Limerick Prison and is completing courses, which shows that she is “making the most of her time in custody,” said the barrister.

The co-accused, who is serving time for the burglary and robbery offences, also penned a letter in this woman’s defence of his own accord, where, it was heard, he was “taking the hit” for these crimes.

As for the thefts, Ms O’Hagan said her client was in a “state of addiction” during this timeframe but is now making “excellent strides,” especially since she has the support of her family, who are caring for her children.

Upon hearing facts of the case, Judge Colin Daly decided to take these matters into consideration. He will pass sentence this Friday at 10:30am.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme.