Suspended jail term for Ballymena man who stole £1,400 worth of cosmetics
A man who admitted stealing £1,400 worth of cosmetics in a series of shoplifting raids at a Boots shop in Ballymena has received a suspended jail sentence.
Gary Cully (37), of Barra Drive, Ballymena, took £472 worth of cosmetics on November 29 last year; £208 worth on December 13 in 2023; £472 on December 22, 2023, and £266 on February 28 this year, according to his charge sheet. He also stole vodka worth £53 from Lidl in Ballymena on New Year's Eve last year.
The defendant appeared at Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 16.
A defence barrister said the defendant is liaising with the Repeat Offenders' Unit and has "essentially turned his life around" and has made "monumental progress".
District Judge Nigel Broderick said the defendant had 29 previous convictions including 18 for theft.
The judge said there was a "glimmer of hope" regarding the defendant, who has now obtained a job.
He handed down an eight months prison term, suspended for two years, and ordered Cully to pay compensation for the stolen items.