Courts / Dublin / Report

Laundrette splattered with blood

Date
2021-05-13

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Tallaght

County
Dublin

Summary

Peter Little, 42, of Drumcairn Parade, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to criminal damage after he splattered a launderette at Alexander House with his own blood during a failed attempt to steal cash for drugs. The incident occurred overnight on 24 and 25 September 2020 at an automated laundromat. Garda Andrew Gibbons reported that a cleaner found smashed glass, damaged photo booth and payment machines, and blood throughout the area. Cleaning and repairs cost €730.52. Little, who has 24 previous convictions including ten for theft, was arrested after blood analysis linked him to the scene. He was sentenced by Judge Martin Nolan to one year imprisonment, with a prior concurrent three‑year sentence having a suspended final year. Wicklow District Court will consider reactivating the suspended portion on 18 May 2024.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Laundrette splattered with blood. Charges or matters: criminal damage at Alexander House, Tallaght, on September 24 and 25, 2020; criminal damage when he was arraigned at Tallaght District Court on April 30, last. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

September 24 Hearing Or Sentence
April 30 Incident
Tuesday May 18 Hearing Or Sentence
2021-05-13 Publication

Why: "He caused the damage in order to get money to get drugs," she told the court. CNI source report

Case subjects

Peter Little

Defendant

Charges: criminal damage at Alexander House, Tallaght, on September 24 and 25, 2020; criminal damage when he was arraigned at Tallaght District Court on April 30, last (Admitted)

Plea: Guilty

Outcome: Judge Martin Nolan accepted the offence was at the "lower end of the scale" for the Circuit Court, but said Little had "a pretty long record". "Many good people have good things to say about him and that leaves me minded to consider a non-custodial disposition in this case," he said. "But his record doesn't allow that." Judge Nolan sentenced Little to one year imprisonment. Little was previously sentenced to a pair of concurrent three-year sentences, with the final year suspended in both cases.