Sports Direct at Bray Central.
A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to two thefts from Sports Direct stores in Bray and Wicklow, as well as failing to appear before Bray District Court earlier this summer
Patrick Stokes of Amberley House, Lower Gardiner Street, appeared at Bray District Court via video link from Cloverhill Prison. Mr Stokes pleaded guilty to failing to appear for a previous hearing and two counts of theft.
Mr Stokes failed to appear at Bray District Court on July 9, 2025. He also faced two counts of theft, having stolen two Nike Tech tracksuits worth €370 from Sports Direct in Bray on April 23, 2025, and additional clothing from the Sports Direct store in Wicklow on the same date.
The court heard that Mr Stokes was living in emergency accommodation at the time of the offences, along with his pregnant partner. His solicitor told the court that her client “is looking to better himself when he leaves custody,” and added that “Mr Stokes wants to find employment in the security sector”.
Mr Stokes told the court he is now drug-free and willing to provide a clean urine sample if required.
The court was also told that Mr Stokes has 86 previous convictions and had been released on an unrelated matter on March 16, 2024. Judge David Kennedy said: “That is a huge number for someone your age.”
Mr Stokes’s solicitor said her client had been shoplifting to support his drug habit.
Judge Kennedy sentenced Mr Stokes to nine months’ imprisonment on each theft charge, to run concurrently, and fined him €500 for failing to appear, with five days in default. The prison term was backdated to August 27, 2025.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme