Andrew Murphy convicted of taking bicycle in Ranelagh and fined €750

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Andrew Murphy (39), of Rosemount Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14, has been convicted of unlawfully taking a bicycle from a bike rack outside a SuperValu on Ranelagh Road, Dublin 6, on January 5th, 2024, and fined €750. Judge Conor Fottrell ordered the fine to be paid within six months and set recognisance in the event of an appeal.

Murphy had pleaded not guilty. He gave evidence and denied being the person shown in CCTV footage played in court, saying: "That is not me - 100pc not me." He said he had been dealing with addiction issues then and could not remember where he was that night.

The footage showed a man cycling, stopping at a bike rack and wheeling away a second bicycle. Garda Dylan Higgins told the court he recognised the man as Murphy, whom he had known from previous interactions over the years. Defence counsel Michael O'Brien BL argued that the prosecution had not established a proper chain of custody for the footage and that the case relied heavily on Garda recognition evidence, which carried a risk of honest mistake.

Judge Fottrell rejected the defence submissions. He accepted Garda Higgins' evidence and his identification of Murphy, and said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Murphy was the person shown taking the bicycle.

The injured party told the court he locked his bicycle outside the store, and when he came back about 25 minutes later it was gone and the broken lock had been left behind. The bicycle, valued at about €500, was never recovered. The court heard Murphy had 101 previous convictions, including 23 for theft. The judge said Murphy had a significant history and a difficult past, and noted that he was attempting to move on.