Irishman avoids jail over trip over trip to Lourdes but no miracle with judge

A man with 39 previous convictions, including theft, who had nine month suspended sentences hanging over him, will avoid jail for a week due to a trip to Lourdes.

John Nevin, aged 26, of 34 Carmody Way, came before Judge Andrew Cody at Portlaoise District Court last week after being convicted of driving with no insurance on June 27 this year.

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby told the court that the accused’s previous convictions included disqualification for two years for having no insurance in June this year.

However, he also had three sets of suspended sentences hanging over him from three thefts from Supervalu Mountmellick on different occasions in 2021.

Before deciding on what to do with the accused, Judge Andrew Cody heard from Gardaí on some of Nevin’s other misdemeanors.

He was also banned last month for four years at Limerick Court for driving with no insurance. He was jailed for four months in June this year at Limerick Court for thefts.

He received a nine-month suspended sentence in 2023 in Portlaoise for theft. He was also convicted and given a six-month suspended jail sentence in Cork in January 2023 arising from nine counts of theft.

He was also convicted in 2020 in Portlaoise and Tullamore of thefts in 2020. A year previously he was banned for speeding with no insurance leading to a two-year ban.

Defence solicitor Philip Meagher told the court that he and his partner have two children. One child, who has a disability, is with Nevin’s partner in Lourdes.

The solicitor asked the court if it would consider Nevin’s difficult ‘situation at home’. He said his client was prepared to commit to ‘never transgress again’.

Judge Cody said suspended sentences “have to mean something”. He said that he would activate one of the three-month suspended sentences in respect of the 2021 Mountmellick theft convictions when he sits at the district court in Portlaoise on July 18.

He remanded Nevin on continuing bail and warned that an arrest warrant would be issued if he does not show up on July 18.