Former Irish League footballer given chance to see if he can stop shoplifting

Darren Moore (56), with an address listed as in Ballymena, had previously been sentenced for the lamb theft but he was back at the town's Magistrates' Court on Thursday after admitting new offences - shoplifting perfume worth £104 and groceries worth £70 from shops in Ballymena.

He took the perfume on April 13 this year and the groceries were taken on March 16.The goods were not recovered.

A defence barrister said drug addiction has been plaguing the defendant's life for 30 years.

Moore still uses drugs even though he suffers "seizures", the court was told.

The court was told the defendant has a new partner and she was in the court public gallery.

The defence said Moore is embarrassed by his offending and wishes to apologise to everyone involved.

He said the defendant described shoplifting as "moments of madness".

The barrister said on one occasion shoplifting was committed because the defendant was starving.

District Judge Nigel Broderick said people did not to have to steal food to feed themselves as there are food banks and charities which can help.

He told Moore there was every reason he should be jailed because he was in breach of two suspended jail terms.

The judge said shop owners say theft is a "continuing and increasing problem".

The defendant, with an address listed as Ballyclug Mews, had 59 previous convictions but Judge Broderick said he would give him "a chance to prove you can stop re-offending".

He deferred sentencing for a year and warned that if there are new offences he faces a "lengthy custodial sentence if you don't mend your ways".

In a previous incident, on September 21 in 2023 Moore took 20 legs of lamb from Tesco in Ballymena.

The value of the meat was not specified but the amount of items taken that day also included cooking pots and bedding and totalled £534.

In another previous incident he stole champagne from Marks & Spencer.

The defendant played for Belfast-based Irish League side Crusaders FC in the 1990s.

A previous court heard that when Moore was young he had the opportunity to play football for Millwall in London and after going over for six months he was successful but he missed home.

When he returned to Northern Ireland he "got himself involved in matters relating to The Troubles and from that he has unfortunately spent periods of time in and out of custody and the irony is that the lifestyle he now leads is because the area in which he grew up in he has been expelled from, and that is being polite to the people who would have been former friends, former associates, who have now told him where he can and cannot go," a defence lawyer had said.

Last August Moore was shot with a crossbow bolt during an incident in Ballymena and images of the bolt embedded in his cheek were widely circulated on social media.