A 22-year-old man, who left his own country to avoid an arranged marriage, stole an expensive camera from a tourist four days after he was caught red-handed trying to steal a phone from a woman’s handbag.
Aman Haddaqui (22), an Algerian national, 313 Great Western Hostel, Eyre Square, also produced a falsified Belgian identity card with his photo embossed on it, and gave a false name to Sergeant Paul O’Grady at Eglinton Street two days before that.
With the help of a translator, the would-be trainee chef pleaded guilty before Galway District Court to all of the charges which occurred between November 20 and 26 last year, shortly after he had arrived in the city.
Inspector Mick Dwyer said Haddaqui had been arrested initially at 12.30am on November 20 when he produced a falsified ID card and gave a false name.
The inspector said the accused was again arrested at 3.15am on November 22, after he was observed putting his hand into a woman’s handbag to steal her phone.
He was intoxicated at the time and was arrested by Garda Mark Kerrisk.
Then, on November 26, Haddaqui stole a tourist’s digital SLR camera from a table outside the Quays Bar.
Gardai searched Haddaqui’s room in the Great Western Hostel and found the camera.
Insp Dwyer said Haddaqui had already been placed on probation for six months at Dublin District Court on February 3 last for two thefts there.
Defence solicitor, Valerie Corcoran said her client had been in custody on these matters for a month.
She said he came here to avoid having to get married in his own country and had only used the false identity card to get into pubs.
She said he had friends in Dublin he could stay with and had no reason to be in Galway.
His stint in prison had been a rude awakening for him, she added.
Judge James Faughnan asked what his long-term plans were.
Ms Corcoran said her client wanted to stay in Ireland, learn English and train to be a chef.
Judge Faughnan directed the preparation of a probation report and said if that showed some “light at the end of the tunnel” the defendant would be helped, but if it didn’t he wouldn’t.
He adjourned sentence to May to await the findings of the report and also directed the accused be assessed for his suitability to carry out community service in lieu of a prison sentence.
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