Judges are certainly getting creative these days. Take the case of Alexander Brennan, a Dubh with a serious drug habit. He used to have a serious drug habit, at any rate, and now he's paying his debt to society. Literally.
Judge Mary Collins heard his plea. Yes, he was guilty. While working as a waiter, he would scan the customers' credit cards twice, once for Alexander and once for the business that employed him. All in all, he managed to lift 18,000 euro between April and September of 2004, when he was toting and carrying for the Morrison Hotel in Dublin. That's rather a lot of skimming, and a sensible individual would know that he would get caught. Time and date stamping of transactions would provide a fairly noticeable clue. However, Mr. Brennan was most definitely not a sensible person, not when he could burn through that much money on drugs in those few short months. It's a wonder he could function at all.
Having been caught, he cleaned up his act and is now drug-free, ready to serve his sentence. He's been good as gold, as good as St. Patrick himself, and everyone is confident that he will go and sin no more. So recontrite is our boy that he has been hard at work, paying back what he took. Five thousand euro has been reimbursed, with another thousand on hand. He'll pay it all back, every cent, but he needs more time. There's only so much a man can earn waiting tables.
The judge in her wisdom must think that it is punishment enough, for now, that the miscreant must scrimp and slave and save to pony up the remainder. With that in mind, she has remanded him on bail for a further two months to come up with the rest of the cash. Once he has paid everything back, only then will she finish up his case. For all intents and purposes, the young man is presently incarcerated in a modern form of debtors' prison. Unlike the bad old days, however, he has the opportunity to work to get the money to pay his debt. So very wise, this judge. In this case, it's a punishment that fits the crime. Not so very different from going to the bank and getting the loan of the 18,000 and then paying out the installments. Wonder what he's put up for collateral? Oh, of course. His freedom.
6 comments:
any updates to this story???
I've not heard another word since last year. Irish judges being of a forgiving nature, I'd not be surprised if he was allowed the extra time to pay off the debt.
If anything turns up, I'll post the news.
He got off with his freedom intact after he paid back the courts with money he borrowed from his girlfriend at the time...no word on whether or not that money was ever returned to her...
Any girl lending money to a boyfriend should get a signed promissory note if she's smart. If not, she's out the money and she's learned an expensive lesson.
Setting the record straight: apparently his dad bailed him out. His fiancee at the time, bailed on him the minute she found out he was a liar and a thief.
Women can be so fickle. What's an honest thief to do?
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