A man has been jailed for two and a half years for stealing €26,000 worth of stock from Quills Woollen Market in Glengarriff.

Anthony Curtis was living at the Perrin Inn, Glengarriff at the time of the offence.

He previously pleaded guilty to stealing the goods from the more than 80-year-old family business on August 10th, 2025.

The British national also pleaded guilty to having stolen over €250 worth of Southern Comfort whiskey liqueur and toiletries from a branch of Centra in Innishannon on the same date last year. The two offences occurred in quick succession, the court heard.

Curtis (48) appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing. Det Sgt Eoin Concannon said that about €16,000 worth of clothing stolen from Quills was recovered. However, the items were seriously damaged.

He said that Curtis had 65 previous convictions, over 20 of which originated from incidences of burglary or theft.

Defence barrister Paula McCarthy said that her client had made admissions in relation to the offences and signed pleas of guilty which he later affirmed in court.

She said that Curtis, who entered custody on August 14th, 2025, was in the ‘throes of addiction’ at the time of his offending behaviour. ‘(He was also) under significant financial pressure. He does have victim empathy and remorse,’ she added.

‘He had a chaotic upbringing but he does have a history of employment. He had been off drugs for a period but fell off the wagon around this time. He has been engaging with addiction services in prison and is on a methadone programme. The probation officer accepts he has a level of insight.’

A victim impact statement from Quills was handed to the judge for her consideration. Judge Helen Boyle noted that the burglary had caused a ‘significant financial loss’ to the business.

She said that the long the history of offending of the accused man was also an aggravating factor when it came to deciding on the appropriate sentence in the case.

However, Judge Boyle noted that the guilty plea had saved the State the time and expense of a trial whilst also sparing the victims from having to attend court to give evidence. She also noted that Curtis was under pressure to pay a drugs debt at the time of the offence.

Judge Boyle jailed Curtis for three and a half years, suspending the final 12 months of the sentence which was backdated to when he first entered custody in August of last year.