A man caught on cctv committing burglary at the spa in the former Meyrick hotel received a six month suspended sentence at the District Court.
Daniel Kiernan (34), with an address at Rathnamuddagh, Dysart, Mullingar was convicted of a single count of burglary at the Hardiman hotel, then known as the Meyrick, on October 9 of last year.
Garda Peter Colleran gave evidence that he was called to the Meyrick Hotel on the day in question, where the duty manager Jack Hurley reported that there had been a burglary on the 5th floor spa, and that a man was being detained by security.
When he spoke with Mr Kiernan at the scene, Garda Colleran said he was uncooperative, refusing to give his name, or an explanation of any sort.
The incident was captured on cctv at the hotel, and after viewing the footage Garda Colleran said he was satisfied that the man in the video was Daniel Kiernan.
The District Court also heard evidence from two hotel employees, the manager Jack Hurley, and another employee at the spa, Ms Niamh Molloy.
She told the court that a colleague informed her about a confused person in the back rooms at the spa where the public wasn’t supposed to be.
Out of caution she checked the register at reception, and informed her manager that €140 in notes was missing.
After, while she was giving a spa treatment, she said she heard someone trying the room’s locked door, and rummaging in another unoccupied room next door.
Gym goers also told her that there had been a suspicious person behind the desk at reception.
After being told about the missing money, Mr Hurley began checking the cctv cameras before being informed that the man was still in the spa.
He encountered Daniel Kiernan as he was approaching the elevators, demanding that he return the stolen money.
According to Mr Hurley, Kiernan became aggressive and tried to leave the hotel, but he was able to trap him in the revolving door until gardaí arrived.
Mr Kiernan chose to represent himself at this hearing after previously being granted free legal aid.
He did not question the witnesses in this case, but said that the person in the cctv footage is not him.
I wasn’t in the spa,” he said, adding “what would I be in the spa for?”.
Judge Mary Fahy disagreed with this claim, saying the footage “is so clearly of him, taking money”.
She handed down a six month prison sentence, but suspended it in its entirety for two years on the condition that Kiernan stay out of Galway city and county entirely.
