Suspended prison sentence for Donegal woman who stole Easter eggs and clothing

A woman before a Donegal court over a series of shoplifting offences, including the theft of Easter eggs, has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

A one-month prison term, which was suspended for six months, was imposed on Katelyn Reilly.

The 32-year-old, of Canal Road, Letterkenny, appeared before Falcarragh District Court charged with three offences.

Sergeant Maurice Doyle outlined the case to Judge Emile Daly.

The court heard that on March 21, 2024 at 4.15pm, Reilly filled a backpack with Easter eggs from Lidl, Pearse Road, Letterkenny, Reilly also took the backpack from the store.

Reilly left the store without paying for the goods, which had a total value of €40.

On May 11, 2024 at 4.30pm, Reilly entered Dealz, Letterkenny Retail Park and placed €100 worth of clothing into a pink bag before leaving the store without paying for the items.

Reilly was also charged with an incident on July 4, 2025 where she took healthcare products worth €22.99 from Boots, Letterkenny. The items were concealed and Reilly left the store without making payment.

The court heard that Reilly has no previous convictions.

Ms Donna Ponsonby, solicitor for Reilly, said her client is a mother-of-four who was “simply not thinking” when she stole the Easter eggs.

“She was in a desperate situation,” Ms Ponsonby said. “She didn’t have the means.”

Ms Ponsonby told the court that Reilly “was not in a good head space” and was dealing with two close bereavements at the time.

Sergeant Doyle said that Reilly handed the back to a juvenile who left the store in the incident at Dealz. 

Ms Ponsonby said that a child had left Boots with the items concerned and her client “offered to pay for them. When the Gardai came to arrest her, she had no difficulty in paying for them”.

Ms Ponsonby said Reilly held her hands up for the theft from Lidl and added: “She found herself just not thinking straight and was trying to ensure that her children had a regular Easter.”

Judge Daly said it was “concerning” that the defendant is a mother-of-four. A probation and welfare report had been sought “to get some explanation as to why this was occurring”, but Reilly did not attend an appointment.

This, Judge Daly said, left the court without the benefit of a report, which Ms Ponsonby explained was down to Reilly’s commitments to her family.

For the theft of clothing from Dealz, Judge Daly imposed a one-month prison sentence, which was suspended for six months on condition that Reilly commit no further offence.

Reilly was fined €400 for the theft of Easter eggs and a backpack from Lidl while the theft from Boots was marked as taken into consideration by the Judge.