A Wicklow teenager who stole two bags of cash while he was working with security company G4S has been given an 18 month suspended sentence.
The court heard the 19-year-old stole a total of €12,480 in order to pay off a €6,000 drug debt he was under pressure to pay back.
The teen told Gardaí he had been paying the debt back through his wages but it seemed he was “not paying them off quickly enough”, with his initial debt of €4,000 being “taxed” and increased to €6,000.
The Judge said the teen’s drug debt was “no defence and no excuse for his criminality” and described him as “a hard working person who had made a huge mistake”.
It was acknowledged by the Judge that his family was helping him take responsibility for his crime and that G4S had been paid back with the help of his mother taking out a bank loan.
The teen was sentenced to 18 months in prison which was suspended in full on strict conditions.
The court heard that he has since got a new job and is working to pay back his mother’s bank loan.
