A homeless man caught with a stolen purse and clothes in Dublin city centre had been living “in and out of hostels” and on the streets since the age of 12, a court heard.
nthony Nolan (51) admitted handling stolen property when he appeared in Dublin District Court.
Judge Paula Murphy gave him a five-month suspended sentence.
The court heard gardaí on patrol in Temple Bar on August 17 last year saw Nolan going through a purse on Fownes Street.
The purse had a security tag on it and when asked where he got it, he told gardaí another man had given it to him.
He then said the other man had taken it from a shop and given it to him.
Separately, he was searched at the Luas stop at St Stephen’s Green last November 23 and found with a stolen t-shirt, scarf and trousers.
The accused had mental health issues that were exacerbated by alcohol and drugs misuse, his solicitor Rory Staines said.
He had been in and out of hostels since the age of 12 and had been on the streets for a long time
Nolan had been in treatment and was now in “very good shape”, the court heard.
