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Former burger restaurant manager denies stealing €1,000 from his work

By October 29, 2019 No Comments

Former burger restaurant manager denies stealing €1,000 from his work

A FORMER burger restaurant manager has denied stealing more than €1,000 in cash from his workplace over the course of three days.

Eduards Babinjans (32) pleaded not guilty to stealing the money last year and is facing trial by judge and jury.

Judge David McHugh adjourned the case against him at Blanchardstown District Court for the preparation of a book of evidence.

Mr Babinjans, of The Maltings, Dublin 8, is charged with three counts of theft.

It is alleged he stole the money from Gourmet Burger in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Clondalkin, on three consecutive days last year.

He is accused of stealing €26.80 on May 22, €61.88 the next day and €920 the day after that.

The accused entered a not guilty plea.

When a date for the hearing was to be fixed, his lawyer told the court the accused was opting for jury trial.

The DPP had consented to the case being dealt with at district court level and a judge had already accepted jurisdiction, but the charge is one in which the accused has the right to choose a trial in the circuit court instead.

Mr Babinjans will be sent forward to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court when the book of evidence is ready.

Sgt Maria Callaghan previously said the accused was the manager in Gourmet Burger at the time of the alleged offences.

It was alleged he stole money on three occasions, totalling €1,008.

An order for disclosure of prosecution documents to the defence was previously made by the court.

Free legal aid was granted after a statement of Mr Babinjans’s financial means was submitted.

Irish Independent