Former Irish league footballer in court for stealing alcohol, meat and toiletries
A former Irish League footballer previously convicted of stealing 20 legs of lamb from a shop has been back before a court and admitted to stealing alcohol, meat and toiletries worth £498.
Darren Moore (54), with an address listed as Warden Square in Ballymena, took 'spirits' worth £402 from Tesco on July 7 this year; meat and toiletries worth £54 from Robinson's Supermarket in Ballymena on August 28; and meat worth £42 from Robinson's on September 3 this year.
He had also driven whilst disqualified and without insurance on August 28.
He appeared at Ballymena Magistrates' Court via video link from prison and his case was adjourned to October 3 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
When Moore was at court for previous matters, including the legs of lamb incident, a defence barrister had said the defendant had a "chronic addiction to crack cocaine".
He said the defendant had been stealing items to sell on to fund his drug habit.
The lawyer said 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.
The lawyer said that when Moore returned to Northern Ireland he "got himself involved in matters relating to The Troubles and from that he has 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".