A man who stole bottles of perfume totalling over €500 from a Waterford city shop along with other offences was handed a custodial sentence last month.
John Sprice (38) of 93 Priory Lawn, Ballybeg, Waterford, appeared before Judge John Cheatle at Waterford District Court at the end of May. He pleaded guilty to four counts of theft, contrary to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001, along with taking a vehicle without authority, contrary to Section 112 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, and driving under the influence of an intoxicant, contrary to Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 2010. He was produced in court from prison, where is currently serving a sentence for an unrelated matter.
Sergeant John Phelan told the court that on 30 September 2025, Gardaí received a report about a theft of six bottles of perfume with a total value of €589.92 from Shaws Department Store, Waterford city. The accused was identified as being involved, and no property was recovered.
The court was told that the accused was charged with two separate thefts from TK Maxx, Waterford city on 19 November 2023 and 13 March 2024. It was noted that the value of the thefts were €10.99 and €7.99 respectively, and the items were not recovered. He was also charged with theft to the value of €35.77 from Shaws on 11 October 2023, and the property was also not recovered.
Sgt Phelan added that 26 December 2025, the accused took a car belonging to his former partner from outside her house and drove it without permission. He was stopped by Gardaí and arrested after he was found to be driving while intoxicated.
It was noted that the accused has nine previous convictions, and is currently serving a sentence of two years and three months after he was convicted of money laundering in March 2026.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said the accused has been in custody since the incident last December. The solicitor stated his client had an “escalating addiction issue” and “cocaine problem” and while he was working full-time prior to entering custody, he “couldn’t handle” the weekly wage due to his problems, and “spiralled out of control.”
However, Mr. Cunningham said the accused has gone through a “period of reflection” during his time in custody, and will have a “positive contribution” to make to society when he is released. He asked the court if any sentence could be backdated to December 2025 if possible.
Judge Cheatle handed the accused a two-year driving disqualification for the charge of driving while intoxicated, and an eight month prison sentence for the €589.92 theft from Shaws.
The judge said the sentence would not interfere with the accused’s release date, and decided to take all other charges into consideration.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
Robyn Power
