Skibbereen District Court heard that Don Duggan (37) of Mayfield, Cork, stayed at the hotel with his partner on February 23rd 2024.

At 12.30am, the night manager heard noises coming from behind the reception where he caught Duggan taking the cash.

A lock and key on a door leading to the hotel kitchen were damaged by Duggan during the incident.

Sgt Tom Mulcahy said: ‘The night porter confronted an unknown man standing behind the front desk. When asked what he was doing, the man said he was looking for something as pain relief.’

Gardaí were alerted and the owner of the hotel, who arrived soon after.

Mr Duggan was identified on CCTV footage from the kitchen which showed him rummaging through the night manager’s coat pockets, taking an envelope, taking cash from it and putting the money in his pocket.

Mr Duggan has 141 previous convictions, 55 for theft and burglary.

The court heard that he had last come to the attention of gardaí in September 2024 for a public order offence.

Judge Joanne Carroll said: ‘He had absolutely no permission to be in areas of the hotel that were for staff only.’

Barrister Carmel Goggin, defending, said: ‘He has had a difficult period due to ten years of heroin abuse. Things spiralled out of control. On the night of the offence, he was socialising and staying at the hotel. Due to his level of intoxication he went wandering around the hotel. He was not in his right mind.

‘He has since been able to turn his life around and has been clean for 15 months. He and his partner have had a baby. He has gone through seismic changes in his life.’

She added that her client was about to start a course to become a forklift operator, something which he had been waiting to do for the past three years.

Judge Carroll said: ‘He deprived a hard-working employee of €120. This man deserves to go to jail. He did not enter a plea until September and has 141 previous convictions, 55 under the Theft Act. I am told he is clean and a changed man. He has caused an awful lot of people an awful lot of pain.’

Judge Carroll gave Duggan a five-months jail sentence, suspended for 18 months under the condition that he stay out of West Cork.

He was also ordered to compensate the night manager of the hotel and pay back the cash he stole during the court proceedings.

In court, Mr Duggan paid back the €120 to the night manager and €50 to the hotel.

Judge Carroll concluded: ‘You are extremely lucky. We’ve met before in Cork. You have to be extremely careful.’

(Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme).