A thief stole a wallet and mobile phone from a District Court judge at Galway courthouse yesterday and tried unsuccessfully to withdraw money using one of his bank cards a short time later at a nearby ATM.
Judge Aeneus McCarthy, from Cork, was hearing a number of cases at a special sitting of Galway District Court yesterday. He was in one of the courthouse's three main courtrooms when the thief entered his chambers, which are situated directly behind the judge's bench, and stole his wallet and mobile phone.
Many gardaí and members of the public were in the building yesterday when the theft occurred, as two courts were sitting simultaneously, but nobody saw the thief enter or leave the judge's chambers.
Courts services regional manager Brendan McDonald said his office was in the process of improving security at the courthouse and had approached the Office of Public Works (OPW) to provide costings for the work.
"The OPW has been asked to provide costings for security upgrading and we have already started to implement security measures.
"Security key pads have already been fitted to doors leading to all staff areas," he said.
Gardaí are investigating the matter and are following a definite line of inquiry, according to a spokesman.