A woman who stole petrol and alcohol from a business in Skibbereen has been given a suspended sentence.

The case of Caroline O’Donovan (28), who has an address of Kealties, Durrus, but is now living in Ahakista, was heard at Skibbereen District Court.

Sgt Tom Mulcahy said the accused put €20 worth of petrol into her Ford Fiesta at 4.30pm on August 18th 2024 at the Applegreen filling station at Cork Road.

The sergeant said she then went into the shop and took a six-pack of Corona worth €14 and four cans of Captain Morgan’s worth €10, and left without paying.

The sergeant said the accused has 20 previous convictions, the majority of which were dealt with by way of probation orders.

Flor Murphy, solicitor defending, said his client has paid the €44 compensation to the shop owner.

Mr Murphy said ‘the penny is dropping very fast’ for his client, who was sober for a long time, but had, on this occasion, ‘broken out.’ The solicitor told the judge that his client is sober again and attending her meetings.

Judge Carroll addressed the accused directly saying; ‘You are a mature young woman. You have a lot of advantages. And now is the time for you to deal with your addiction. It is up to you if you want to stay out of prison or not.’

Judge Carroll imposed a three-month sentence, but suspended it for 12 months on condition that the accused does not come to garda attention during that time.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.