Judge orders 'menace' to stay out of Mayo pharmacy

A man who stole gift items from a Castlebar pharmacy was given a suspended prison sentence

Published 6th Jun 2026, 16:00 BST A judge ordered a man to stay out of a Castlebar pharmacy | File pic A man who stole gift items from a Castlebar pharmacy was given a suspended prison sentence Sign up to our Mayo Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Mayo Live within your account.

A MAN who stole two gift sets worth €200 from a Castlebar pharmacy was ordered to stay out of the pharmacy after he received a six month suspended prison sentence.

Richard Egan (46) with an address of Lough Mask Road, Ballinrobe appeared before Castlebar District Court where he pleaded guilty to theft from O'Donnell's Pharmacy in Castlebar and also to engaging in threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour in Westport.

In outlining the facts to the court, Court presenter, Sergeant Fiona Farrell explained that on March 28 last, Mr Egan entered O'Donnell's Pharmacy on Ellison Street and took two gift sets worth €200 without paying.

She added that on April 8, 2026, gardaí in Westport received a report of a disturbance between a male and a female at the North Mall and when they arrived they met Mr Egan who was highly intoxicated. She said that Mr Egan's trousers were down around his ankles and he was shouting at the top of his voice with a number of people present and was arrested.

Judge Ciarán Liddy was informed that Mr Egan has a number of previous convictions including ten for theft.

Mr Gary Mulchrone, solicitor for Mr Egan said his client's difficulty with alcohol started with the death of his father when he was 18 or 19 and he committed a spate of offending between 2001 and 2003. He explained that the death of his mother in 2022 also had a bad impact on him and his addictions took hold and he became a menace to local businesses.

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Mr Mulchrone added that his client was living in homeless accommodation which has not helped his addiction issues but was now living with his partner. He suggested that Mr Egan engage with the Probation Services to help him deal with his addiction issues.

However, Judge Liddy said he did not want to burden the Probation Services and imposed a six month sentence for the theft offence which he suspended for one year. He also ordered him to stay out of O'Donnell's Pharmacy and to remain sober.