A man who stole up to £400 worth of clothing from a shop in Enniskillen has been given a suspended sentence.

Owen Maughan (20), of Beech Hill, Enniskillen, appeared at Enniskillen Magistrates Court on Monday on two charges of theft and one of being an unaccompanied L driver.

On March 7, 2019, police were called to JD Sports in Erneside Shopping Centre to reports of two males who had entered the shop at around 7pm and put clothes in to a black bag, to the value of £400 or thereabouts, before leaving the store without making any attempt to pay for the items.

Police viewed CCTV of the incident on March 27, and identified the defendant and on April 1 they arrested Maughan who made full admissions during interview and pointed himself out on CCTV.

On March 16, 2019, police were called to a theft at Centra on the Dublin Road, Enniskillen.

Viewing the CCTV, they saw the defendant take hot food and soft drinks from the shop without paying for them before leaving in a van.

Maughan was again identified but gave no comment answers during interview.

The driving offence occurred on May 10, 2021 when Maughan was caught driving at roads at and between Sligo Road and Coolcullen Meadows, Enniskillen while only holding a provisional licence and not under the supervision of a qualified driver.

Maughan's barrister, Michael Boyd, told the court the best thing about the charges was his client accepted them at an early stage.

He said that from speaking to Maughan he may have been under the influence of other individuals during the times of the thefts.

Mr. Boyd added that Maughan knows he has been given a chance by the courts around previous cases and he hopes to move on with his life.

District Judge Steven Keown handed Maughan a four month sentence suspended for two years for the thefts and ordered him to pay £350 in restitution to JD Sports and £9.85 to Centra.

For the driving charge, Maughan was disqualified for three months and fined £100.