Man who stole €40,000 digger given community service

A 45-year-old man who who stole a €40,000 digger has been ordered by a judge to complete 240 hours community service in lieu of a three-year prison sentence.

Martin Murphy, Carramore Drive, Knock, pleaded guilty earlier this year to the theft of the Hitachi excavator from lands at Cloonacurry, Ballyhaunis, on February 28, 2015.

He appeared before Judge Raymond MacCabe today for sentencing at the Circuit Criminal Court in Castlebar.

The court heard from Detective Garda Kenneth Waldron that the accused was apprehended by gardai as he made off with the digger on a lowloader.

An employee of the machine owner contacted gardai after he came on the scene around six in the morning and witnessed the machine being taken.

Defence barrister Diarmuid Connolly told Judge MacCabe that Mr. Murphy was under financial pressure and took the digger after “an offer too good to be true came his way.'

The court heard that others were involved in the theft operation but had not been prosecuted.

Before imposing sentence, Judge MacCabe said he was concerned about the limited co-operation given by the accused to gardai in their investigation and said it was no thanks to him the digger had been returned to its owner.