Man admits stealing bicycle and footwear from Mayo apartment block
A Ukrainian man who admitted stealing a bicycle and footwear worth over €500 from an apartment complex in Castlebar has had his case adjourned to allow him time to gather compensation for the injured party.
Mykhailo Droniuk, of Heartbeat Cottage, Ballagherg, Letterkenny, Donegal, appeared before Judge Sandra Murphy at Castlebar District Court, where jurisdiction was accepted for a theft incident dating back to December 23, 2023.
Presenting Garda Sergeant Conor McShane told the court that the accused entered Hawthorn Village student accommodation and stole a bicycle and several items of footwear, including a pair of riding boots valued at €250 and two pairs of runners, bringing the total loss to €550, a total sum of €1,650.
During the investigation, Garda Friel went to the International Accommodation Protection Centre, Breaffy, where he believed Droniuk was staying. There, he recovered the stolen bicycle and additional property totalling €1,100, leaving a deficit of €500 not recovered for the injured party.
Gardaí later traced Droniuk to Letterkenny, where he fully admitted his involvement.
The court heard that Droniuk was believed to be intoxicated at the time of the offence.
Defence solicitor Ms. Aileen Feely said her client, who came to Ireland under the Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection programme following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, had been residing at the Breaffy centre under conditions that required him to remain sober.
He was asked to leave that accommodation after returning home intoxicated, and he did so the following day.
Ms. Feely said Droniuk had been drinking in Castlebar and previously lived in the Hawthorn Village apartment complex, where the theft occurred and therefore knew the key code to enter.
Stranded without money for a fare home, he used the bicycle to make his way toward Breaffy, often walking alongside the bike. The shoes attached to the bike were discarded along the way.
She added that her client has no previous convictions, is awaiting eye surgery in Sligo, and has limited vision. He is “extremely sorry” for the distress caused to the injured party, Ms. Feely said.
Judge Murphy noted that while property valued at €1,150 had been recovered, there remained a loss of €500 relating to the runners and riding boots.
She adjourned the matter to March 4, 2026, to allow Droniuk, who is in receipt of social welfare, to gather compensation and Judge Sandra Murphy “will finalise it on that date.”
* Published under the Courts Reporting Scheme.