Shoplifter who walked into store in stocking feet, walked out in stolen runners, court hears

Father-of-three David Mantle also went to other stores with empty soft drinks bottles so he could fill them with vodka and whiskey from the shelves and drink it.

Judge Bryan Smyth gave him a six-month suspended sentence after hearing Mantle’s life was blighted by alcohol abuse and they were crimes of “desperation”.

The accused (43), of Lismore Road, Crumlin, pleaded guilty to theft.

Dublin District Court heard Mantle went to Elvery’s Sports on Henry Street on June 28, 2019, wearing just his socks on his feet. He selected a €120 pair of Under Armour runners, put them on and left.

Gardaí found Mantle wearing the stolen runners, which were recovered but were not saleable.

On August 8, 2019, he went to Tesco, Nutgrove, and poured a bottle of whiskey into another bottle and drank it.

Similarly, on July 28, 2020, Mantle stole the contents of a €12 bottle of vodka from Tesco, Clarehall, by pouring it into an empty soft drink bottle. He then placed the vodka bottle back on the shelf.

Mantle’s drug problem was now under control but alcohol was an ongoing difficulty, his solicitor Tony Collier said.

He drank the alcohol he stole in the shop and in the other theft, he walked in without shoes and “furnished himself with footwear”. The value of the vodka showed he “wasn’t choosing the best”, he added.