'Horrendous record': Criminal jailed over traumatic incident at Tipperary service station

A serial offender was sentenced to eight months imprisonment after he admitted smashing a woman’s car window and stealing her handbag and iPhone while she was parked at a local Tipperary service station.

The incident, which was captured on CCTV, took place at Sweeney’s Filling Station, Church Road, Newport, at around 1.50pm on September 13, last. 

Commenting on the case before her, Judge Marie Keane said: “I have no doubt that lady was traumatised by what happened that day at the gas station.”

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Sergeant Regina McCarthy told Nenagh District Court that 27-year-old Thomas Cawley has 169 previous convictions - the most recent of which was recorded at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court and which resulted in a three-year prison sentence being imposed. 

It was also detailed that Mr Cawley, who has an address at O'Dwyer Villas, Thomondgate, Limerick city, has ten previous convictions for driving without insurance. In response to his list of past offences, Judge Keane stated: “This man has a horrendous record.”  

Judge Keane was told that after Mr Cawley smashed the car window and took the handbag, he left the service station. Shortly upon leaving the premises, he threw the items out of the car he was driving and they were recovered by gardai. 

The court heard that the injured party has since been paid €200 in compensation and that the stolen items were returned to her. The woman in question declined to make a victim impact statement. 

Solicitor Ian McNamara, representing Mr Cawley, said the offence was a “crime of opportunity”. 

He told Judge Keane that while he was instructed by his client to ask the court to consider suspending any prison sentence, that he would not ask this of her. 

Mr McNamara did however appeal to the Judge to take into consideration that Mr Cawley’s “daughter has a Communion in May” and that his partner is expecting a child in the coming weeks. 

The solicitor added that “drug issues in the past” played a role in Mr Cawley’s criminal record. 

Judge Keane sentenced the defendant to four months' imprisonment for criminal damage. A four month sentence was also  imposed for the theft offence, to be served consecutively.

Mr Cawley was also fined €300 and disqualified from driving for four years after he was convicted of driving without insurance or a licence.