A District Court judge yesterday ordered a Polish national to leave the country within 48 hours or serve seven months in jail on a conviction of handling stolen property.
Judge James O'Connor said he would no longer tolerate a situation whereby foreign nationals entered the country and within days were involved in crime. From now on they would be sent back home, the judge said.
Robert Kwiatkowski (25), James Street, Tralee, pleaded guilty to handling a stolen laptop computer on December 12th, 2006, at Chapel Street, Tralee.
He had arrived in this country 14 days ago, the court heard. Legal aid had been granted.
Gardaí said as a result of information received, they called to a house at Chapel Street. The defendant and his friend offered the Apple laptop to a plainclothes garda acting as a buyer.
The court heard the laptop had been stolen along with other items, on December 5th last, from the home of Damien Fitzgerald, Orchard House, Ballyrickard, Tralee, when the house was entered by breaking a side window.
When charged with the handling of stolen property, Mr Kwiatkowski, speaking through an interpreter, said he had bought the laptop along with a black bag and an Irish passport "on the open market" on Sundays in Tralee.
Judge O'Connor asked if the passport referred to was obtained on the "open market".
Solicitor for the accused, Pat Mann, said the market referred to was a car boot sale which took place on Sundays.
Judge O'Connor said: "This kind of stuff has to stop. He's in the country 10 days and he's already involved in a quite serious, nasty matter."
He ordered Mr Kwiatkowski to leave the country within 48 hours or be jailed.
"Don't come in here and look for asylum or whatever status is going and within 10 days being engaged in criminal activity," the judge said.
Mr Mann told the court he had consulted his client and his client did not wish to go back to Poland.
Judge O'Connor repeated that Mr Kwiatkowski had been in the country 10 days when he was involved in serious crime.
The judge asked why he did not wish to return.
Speaking through an interpreter, the accused man said, "Because I came here to this country."
Judge O'Connor convicted him on the charge of handling a stolen laptop, and sentenced him to seven months in prison suspended on condition that within 48 hours from 2.30pm yesterday the defendant leaves the jurisdiction and does not return within three years.
He fixed recognizances of €1,000 personal cash in the event of an appeal.