Shoplifter crashed through security barrier at Louth shopping centre

A shoplifter who crashed through a security barrier in a shopping centre car park, after he drove over the foot of a security guard, was jailed for 15 months at Drogheda Circuit Court last week.

Keith O’Hara (47) formerly with an address at Stapleton Place, Dundalk but with an address in the Coolock area of Dublin, pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless endangerment arising out of the incident at the Marshes Shopping Centre, Dundalk on November 22nd 2018.

The court heard last Wednesday that defendant and his partner entered Boots with their two children shortly before 4pm.

Between them, the pair stole three Paco Rabanne gift sets worth €180 and he left with two concealed under his coat.

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They were followed to the car park by security and as one security guard attempted to speak to him in the car in which his partner and children were also sitting, Keith O’Hara reversed at speed forcing the security officers to jump clear.

One grabbed a colleague to pull her out of the way after she tried to stand in front of the car to stop the defendant.

The car drove over his foot and it mounted a footpath before driving through a barrier and they both felt he would have hit them if they hadn’t got out of the way.

Keith O’Hara had 140 previous convictions including theft, handling stolen property and robbery, but the vast majority was for driving and drugs offences.

The Defence barrister told Judge Ronan Munro his client is on a methadone treatment programme and his goal in life is to get drug-free and play a role in his children’s lives.

The lawyer outlined how his client had lost his parents “because of addiction and related issues and he doesn’t want that to happen to his own children and he is determined to put drugs behind him”.

The court heard a bench warrant issued for the defendant 's arrest in May 2022 on his trial date, was executed in September 2024 almost two months before he entered a guilty plea.

However, a second bench warrant was issued last February on his sentencing date and he has been in custody since September 25th after that warrant was executed.

A report by a psychologist who had assessed the defendant identified how Mr. O’Hara still hasn’t found a method of processing his underlying difficulties, with Judge Munroe saying “It sounds like he may have knocked heroin on the head but all the other issues are there, bubbling away.”

The judge said that while you would expect a shoplifter to hand back the stolen goods when confronted, in this instance it was “a self-destructive thing he did. He put a log of people at risk”

Judge Munro noted the defendant has been a heroin addict from a young age with “all the chaos that that implies” and he said the investigating garda was quite generous in his evidence that when he is not ‘dis-regulated’ and is off drugs, he is usually an affable person who is easy to deal with.

The judge said the letter of apology handed into the court was well written but “there’s still instability there” as he remains on 70mls of methadone having reduced from being on 120mls.

He added the endangerment offences “seems to be an outlier for him” and he accepted that he is remorseful.

Judge Munro imposed a two and a half year sentence but suspended half of it saying “I’m sceptical, but I’m going to give you an opportunity”.

As part of the suspended sentence Mr O’Hara entered a €500 bond to be of good behaviour for three years post release, he must also engage with psychology and education services for three years, remain of sober habits and must not use or be in possession of illegal and non-prescription drugs.

The judge added “If you come back before me, I’ll have no hesitation in activating the 15 months”.  The sentence was backdated to when the defendant went into custody.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years. 

The judge concluded by saying “It’s important to reflect that you could have killed somebody”.