Man who stole alcohol from Wicklow Tesco store had 178 previous convictions
The Wicklow PeopleA 23-year-old man currently serving a prison sentence was given an additional 10-month term after pleading guilty to the theft of alcohol from a Tesco supermarket in Greystones, Co. Wicklow
Martin Stokes (23) of Wheatfield Prison, Clover Hill Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 pleaded guilty to theft of various alcoholic items to the value of €303 at Bray District Court.
Sergeant Anthony Flynn told the court that on September 14, 2024, Garda Breen responded to a report of three men shoplifting at Tesco, Bellevue Road, Greystones, Co. Wicklow. Upon reviewing CCTV footage Gda Breen observed the defendant place bottles into his shorts.
The court was told Mr Stokes has 178 previous convictions and is currently serving a two-year sentence for an unrelated matter. He is set for release in December 2026.
Dermot Hickey, solicitor for the defendant, told the court that his client’s father “has been in and out of custody for the majority of Stokes’s life”, which led to his client taking drugs at 14 years old. Mr Hickey told the court that since his client’s imprisonment he has been a model prisoner and has just finished his Bronze Gaisce award.
“He is now doing everything he didn’t get to do when he was young,” said Hickey.
Judge David Kennedy told Mr Stokes that he had “never seen anyone so young with this extraordinary number of previous convictions”. He sentenced Mr Stokes to 10-months imprisonment.