Man stole Coca-Cola bar sign from local pub and smashed CCTV camera, court hears
'INTOXICATED' | Byrne had told gardaí in an interview that he could not remember anything from the night, saying “I don’t know anything about it”
Paul Byrne was charged with theft and criminal damageA Dublin man who went to his local pub and used bolt cutters to remove a bar sign from the front wall and smash a CCTV camera was intoxicated and could not remember why he did it.Paul Byrne (42) caused nearly €2,000 worth of damage to the security camera system but gardaí were able to locate the stolen bar sign and return it to the owner, a court heard.Judge Monika Leech told him to pay compensation for the damage and adjourned the case at Dublin District Court.Byrne, of Dermot O’Dwyer House, Hardwicke Street in the north inner city, pleaded guilty to theft and criminal damage on December 4, 2022.Garda Bryan O’Sullivan told the court the accused was seen walking on Hardwicke Street in the direction of the Temple pub on Dorset Street. He went to the side entrance and was seen cutting the Coca Cola bar sign off the front wall with bolt cutters.He also smashed the CCTV camera with the bolt cutters and then walked around the back of the premises and snipped the wire of a further camera with the implement.The cost of the damage to the CCTV system was €1,906, while the bar sign was worth €250. The sign was recovered by gardaí a number of days later and returned to the owner.When he was arrested and interviewed, the accused made no comment to questions, Gda O’Sullivan said. The garda believed Byrne would say there was “some form of intoxication” behind the incident.Byrne had told gardaí in an interview that he could not remember anything from the night, saying “I don’t know anything about it,” his solicitor Sandra Frayne said. She said what happened was “probably down to alcohol”. The only evidence in the case was the CCTV footage which was downloaded.Byrne lived near the pub, was an “intelligent man” and a qualified plumber and it was an “unusual case,” Ms Frayne said. The accused had a long-standing cocaine addiction, and that and alcohol had been his “downfall”, she said.He had dealt with that a number of years ago and relapsed a few years ago, Ms Frayne said. Byrne was willing to pay compensation for the damage but needed time to get the money.
