Stole wine and beer from shops across Kilkenny City - man jailed
A LOCAL man has been sent to prison following his conviction on a number of theft charges.
Stuart Hehir, 24 Cyprus Grove, Kilkenny, pleaded guilty to four separate counts of theft, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Offences (Theft and Fraud) Act.
On all four occasions Mr Hehir took alcohol from shops.
Sergeant Morgan O’Connor said the first offence took place on December 11, 2025, when Mr Hehir went into Lidl on the Waterford Road, at 8.45pm.
The defendant took four bottles of wine, worth €50, put them in a bag and left the shop without paying. The property was not recovered.
On January 5, 2026, Mr Hehir went into Lidl on Johnswell Road where he took two bottles of wine, worth €26.97.
Concealed
The wine was concealed in a hold-all bag and not paid for.
On July 24, 2026, Mr Hehir went into SuperValu in Loughboy. He placed three bottles of wine into a bag and passed all payment points, leaving. The property was not recovered.
On September 12, Mr Hehir went into the shop at a Circle K petrol station on the Waterford Road, where he picked up a 10-pack of Coors Light, put the drink into a bag and left without paying.
There were 63 previous convictions recorded against the defendant, the sergeant said.
Solicitor Chris Hogan said his client had asked him to apologise on his behalf. Mr Hehir has a significant difficulty with alcohol, the solicitor said, and has been ‘reasonably well’ but had a relapse and that was when the stealing occurred.
Judge Geraldine Carthy convicted Mr Hehir on one of the theft charges and handed down a three month prison sentence. The other charges were taken into consideration.