Man linked to car break-in in Dundalk after his DNA was found on cider can in vehicle

A man, with 131 previous convictions, who was linked to a car break-in after his DNA was found on a cider can recovered from the vehicle, was jailed for a total of nine months at Dundalk District Court last week for a spate of offending.

Daniel Reid also known as Daniel Christodoulides (28) with an address at the time at Langfield, Dublin Road, Dundalk was before the court charged with almost 30 alleged offences.

The court was told last Wednesday that he is currently serving a three month sentence imposed the previous week for Dublin matters.

The defendant stole an electric bike worth €700 on April 16th last year within 30 minutes of it being locked by its owner outside Dunnes Stores in Ard Easmuinn.

A month earlier he stole an e-bike worth €600 from Tesco Extra, Stapleton Drive.

Five months later he took a bicycle worth €1,500 from a bike rack on Anne Street.

On the same day he was also seen riding an e-scooter along the corridor of the Mourne View Hall apartments and exiting the building.

On July 10th last, the defendant was captured on CCTV using a golf club to smash the wing mirrors off three cars on Vincent Avenue.

He also admitted trespassing behind the bar in the Lisdoo on October 23rd when he first stole a bottle of gin and returned and took €600 from a tip jar.

His DNA was identified on a cider can found in the driver's footwell of a car after its owner discovered the back passenger window had been smashed and the ignition was damaged in an attempt to hot wire it, in Muirhevna, two days later.

The court also heard evidence of various shoplifting incidents including theft of tools from Woodie's Dundalk Retail Park on separate dates, nine days apart in 2024.

The Defence solicitor said his client had spent six weeks in custody, the equivalent of a two month sentence and the offending was to feed his addiction to street tablets.

He added he's been going around in circles and ultimately needs 'some sort of treatment' and is probably almost institutionalised at this stage.

Judge Stephanie Coggans imposed sentences totalling 10 months  with the final one month suspended on him entering a bond to be of good behaviour for two years, backdated to February 12th when he was refused bail and remanded in custody.