Courts / Dublin / Report

Former Legionnaire suffering from PTSD when he stole "Buddha statue"

Summary

Patrick Scanlon, a 42‑year‑old former paratrooper and Legionnaire, was found to have PTSD when he stole a €25 Buddha‑style garden statue from a hardware shop in Finglas, Dublin. He had been walking past the shop when he saw the statue on the ground and picked it up. The next day Garda Niamh Corrigan stopped him on Wellmount Avenue after spotting a sharp knife in his pocket and arrested him for unlawful possession of a knife. Scanlon admitted the statue was stolen and pleaded guilty to theft from James Malone at Finglas DIY on 17 February 2019. He had 27 prior convictions, most of them thefts from 2019. His defence lawyer, Mark Lynam, argued that Scanlon was out of control and self‑medicating, and that he was now dealing with PTSD with social services.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Former Legionnaire suffering from PTSD when he stole "Buddha statue". Charges or matters: theft from James Malone at Finglas DIY, Cardiffsbridge Road, on February 17 last (2019). Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• February 17 Hearing Or Sentence
• 2020-01-30 Publication

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision Theft

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Read the original CNI report