Irish couple admit to drunken tip jar thefts

Theft of €77 from two tip jars lands two Irish visitors in court

A young Irish couple have been conditionally discharged by a court this morning, after they admitted to stealing €77 in tips from a café and a bar after a late-night bender in the Sliema/St. Julian’s area yesterday.

Inspector Neville Mercieca told Magistrate Neville Camilleri how, on the 25th  and 26th of August ,the heavily intoxicated pair had stolen €15.50 in tips from Black Bull pub in Paceville and €61.85 in tips from Caras Café in Sliema, later being found asleep in a private residence which they had stumbled into. They were also charged with being drunk and incapable of taking care of themselves in public.

The two drinkers, 31 year-old Eoin Eamonn Hogan and 28 year-old Elaine Hurley pleaded guilty to the charges.

Defence lawyer Mark Mifsud Cutajar told the court of his clients’ contrition for the incident and said that they wanted to apologise for the thefts.

In view of their guilty plea, the court conditionally discharged the couple for one year and gave them two days in which they are to repay the amounts which they had stolen.