Prison time for man who stole delivery van full of Christmas parcels

By Niamh O’Donoghue

A man with a “shocking record” who stole a delivery van full of parcels before Christmas and told the driver where he would leave it for him is to be sentenced later.

Mark Davis (35) of Kilmartin Drive, Tallaght pleaded guilty to stealing the DPD van in Jobstown on December 4, 2023.

The father-of-one also pleaded guilty to stealing 66 packages worth €901 and driving without a licence on the same date.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Davis has 207 previous convictions for offences including burglary, handling stolen property, theft, endangerment charges and damaging the property of another person.

There was also a driving disqualification for 20 years. He also had convictions for driving without a licence, hit-and runs, dangerous driving, failing to produce a driving licence, driving with no insurance, breach of the peace, obstruction of the peace, failing to appear and using a phone in prison.

The court heard Davis was a victim of a hit-and-run last week which the gardaí were looking into.

Garda Jessica Kidd told the court the driver was delivering packages in the Sundale Park area of Tallaght and got out of the van, before he noticed a man in a blue jacket driving away in it.

Davis turned the van around in a cul-de-sac and as he was passing by, he said “I’ll leave the van round (sic) in that estate.”

The driver went looking for the van and found it parked on the road with the engine running and the doors open, with all but one of 67 packages missing from it.

Sarah-Jane O’ Callaghan BL, defending, said her client came from a very supportive pro-social family but had struggled with drug addiction and had previously been in residential treatment.

She said he was now taking a heroin substitute prescribed by his doctor but had no proof of this, as the letter he had was on his phone which was damaged in the hit-and-run he was a victim of last week.

She asked the judge to not send him to prison again as he would be exposed to drugs.

Judge Sinéad Ní Chúlacháin said Davis had a “shocking record,” though this was his first conviction in the Circuit Court.

“And with someone with a history of hit-and-runs, it not a good idea to be taking anyone’s van,” the judge added.

Judge Ní Chúlacháin put his case back to March 10 next before remanding him on continuing bail.

“I am concerned if I put him in custody, it will be disruptive of whatever progress he has made,” she said.