Chops ‘n’ robbers | 

Father of seven, who stole 10 legs of lamb while battling drug addiction, is jailed

Judge Catherine Hayden imposed a one-month sentence, consecutive to a sentence which Byrne is currently serving.

Today at 02:30

A father of seven who stole 10 legs of lamb from a supermarket was battling an addiction to drugs at the time, a court heard.

Niall Byrne (42) had struggled with drugs for more than 20 years, since he was 16 years old, his solicitor said.

Judge Catherine Hayden imposed a one-month sentence, consecutive to a sentence which Byrne is currently serving.

The defendant, with an address at Mountjoy Prison, admitted stealing 10 legs of lamb, worth €230, from Aldi, Royal Canal Park, Dublin 7, on July 30, 2020.

Garda Philip Harvey said Byrne was identified as the culprit from CCTV footage and the meat was recovered in a resalable condition.

The court heard the defendant had 81 previous convictions.

Defence solicitor Sandra Frayne said that Byrne, a dad of seven, had been in custody for some time, and was not due for release until 2026.

The solicitor said Byrne had found prison life difficult and had missed out on many special occasions with his family.

Ms Frayne asked the judge to be as lenient as possible, saying Byrne was an enhanced prisoner, was attending school and was hoping to complete a manual handling course.

She also said Byrne’s offending behaviour was mostly due to a drug addiction, which he developed when he was just 16 years old.