Woman From Limerick Avoids Jail Following Thefts From Kildare Village In 2020.

Monday, 10 April 2023 13:30

That's according to today's Irish Independent.

A designer shoplifter who targeted top-of-the-range clothes in a crime spree has escaped being sent to prison after admitting the thefts.

Eamon Dillon, writing in today's Irish Independent says Lisa Kirby, from Hyde Road, Limerick, was caught with stolen brands including Karl Lagerfeld, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Guess, Armani, Levi’s, Michael Kors, SuperDry, Puma, Timberland and Nike.

The designer shops at the Kildare Village outlet, however, did not want the €1,300 worth of goods seized by gardaí returned to them.

Kirby had been able to remove security tags in dressing rooms and walk out of the stores with the stolen items in bags, it was heard in court.

She and Glen Houlihan, from Sycamore Avenue, Limerick, were spotted by security staff, who called gardaí in February 2020 who found them in a Mercedes in the car park with the stolen items.

They were arrested at the scene and all the items were recovered, but the shops did not want them back.

Kirby was remorseful and apologetic in her interview with gardaí.

Judge Dara Hayes said she hadn’t dealt with the Probation Service very well and they were not in a position to provide him with any useful information.

He said the headline sentence in such a case is two years, which he mitigated to 18 months and then suspended it in full considering her co-accused was not given a custodial sentence.