By Claire Henry
A man with a chronic drug addiction and 134 previous convictions has been jailed for 20 months for the theft of a motorbike from a Dublin city centre car park.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that Joseph Gifford (40), formerly of Liberty House, Railway Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty to the unauthorised taking of a motorbike from Qpark, Marlborough Street, Dublin on May 13, 2024.
Passing sentence, Judge Martina Baxter described this offence as preplanned, as the individuals involved had concealed their identification when they arrived at the carpark.
Judge Baxter said the injured party in this case travelled from the Isle of Man on his motorbike for a holiday. She noted that gardai recovered the motorbike the following day, but the bike had been written off.
The judge said the aggravating factors in this case were his 134 previous convictions, including 57 were for theft. The judge said that the victim’s means of travel had been taken away from him and that his insurance would have increased as a result of this offence.
Judge Baxter considered the following as mitigation: that Gifford came forward on signed guilty pleas, made admissions to the gardai, supplied DNA samples, his personal circumstances and readiness to deal with his addictions.
She sentenced him to 32 months in prison, with the final 12 months suspended for two years. She also placed Gifford under the supervision of the Probation Services for one-year post-release.
At a previous hearing, Garda Philip Monaghan told Marc Murphy BL, prosecuting, that on the previous evening, a man who had gotten the ferry from the Isle of Man to Ireland parked his motorbike in the car park. The man was on holiday, touring Ireland.
On the morning in question, the injured party went to the car park and found his bike had been taken. Gardai were contacted, and CCTV footage was obtained.
Four individuals were seen entering the car park in the early hours of the morning. Three of the men were wearing masks and gloves and had their hoods up. These men were not identified. Gifford was the fourth person and was easily identifiable by the gardai.
The court heard that the following day, the motorbike was recovered in Blanchardstown, and it had been written off. Gardai don’t believe that Gifford was involved in damaging the motorbike.
Gifford was arrested and interviewed in March 2025. He made admissions and identified himself on CCTV footage, but refused to identify the other three individuals.
Gda Monaghan told the court that Gifford has 134 previous convictions, which include convictions for theft, public order, breach of bail conditions, criminal damage and assault. He was also on bail at the time of this offence.
The injured party in this case declined to make a victim impact statement, but the court was told the motorbike was valued at £8,000.
Gda Monaghan agreed with Eoghan Weldon, BL, defending, that Gifford identified himself on CCTV footage when it was shown to him.
The garda agreed with counsel that Gifford has a long-standing addiction issue and is a vulnerable person.
Mr Weldon said Gifford has never sought help for his addiction and that he has serious issues that need to be addressed. He asked the court to take into account his client’s remorse, his admissions, his guilty pleas and that he wants help in dealing with his addictions.