Man tells court he is 'done and dusted' with crime
The defendant went into Franco's takeaway and threatened staff with a knife.
A man who threatened staff in a chipper with a knife and burgled a house has been praised for the way he has turned his life around.
Tommy McLellan, aged 43, of Sea View Lane, Ballycastle, pulled out a knife at a takeaway to demand free food and, in a separate incident, stole €50 and half a packet of cigarettes from a house.
He previously pleaded guilty to the offences at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court.
Sgt Sean McHale told the court that at 11pm on October 22, 2020, Gardaí in Ballina received a report of two men who had entered Franco’s takeaway on Tone Street. The accused was intoxicated and produced a knife and demanded free food.
At 3.55am on May 21, 2020, McLellan entered a house on Humbert Street in Ballina while its occupants were asleep. He made off with a jar of coins containing €50 and a half packet of Mayfair cigarettes.
McLellan has 66 previous convictions.
The case was adjourned for sentencing with McLellan appearing in court again last week.
The court heard how the accused has transformed his ‘chaotic’ life around following assistance from the Galway Simon Community.
McLellan was previously homeless and serious issues with drink and drugs. He has been sober for 26 months.
He and his brother moved to Ballycastle from Ballina. Valerie Quinn, who works with the Housing First organisation in collaboration with the Galway Simon Community, said McLellan has become a ‘poster boy’ for their project. “He has completely turned his life around and is so eager to change,” said Ms Quinn.
The court heard McLellan was barred from numerous shops and businesses in Ballina but he has since apologised to every business he wronged and has been allowed back in to many.
“I can do my shopping in Dunnes in Ballina now,” he told the court.
“I never knew there was a life like this out there, being sober,” said McLellan.
He vowed to never appear in court again and said he was ‘done and dusted’ with crime.
“Well done you,” said Judge Eoin Garavan. “It’s a great achievement to tackle all these things,” he added.
The judge said McLellan was ‘clearly a success story’ but he could not ignore the seriousness of his crimes.
“No doubt he was a nuisance. He was barred from everywhere. But that’s in the past now,” commented Judge Garavan.
The judge imposed a three-year suspended jail sentence, suspended for a period of three years.
