A woman charged with stealing Apple AirPods from a shop in Waterford was given the benefit of the Probation Act recently.
Linda Halligan (49) of 6 Ardmore Park, Waterford, appeared before Judge John Cheatle at a recent sitting of Waterford District Court, where she pleaded guilty to theft, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001.
Sergeant John Phelan told the court that on 30 December 2025, Gardaí received a report of theft from Tesco Poleberry, Waterford. The Sergeant said that a woman, identified as the accused, and another person entered the shop and took the AirPods, which were valued at €97.50.
Sgt. Phelan added that the two people left without paying for the headphones, and the accused was identified from CCTV.
It was noted that the accused has two previous convictions for unrelated matters.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that his client was “accepting culpability” for her involvement, even though she acted with another person.
Mr. Cunningham highlighted that the accused has no relevant previous convictions and asked the Judge if the Probation Act could be applied in this case.
Judge Cheatle dismissed the case under Section 1 (1) of the Probation Act.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power