Book list and order to repay $13 after Irishman’s cheap wine theft

It wasn’t Guinness or Jameson, but two bottles of cheap wine that landed an Irishman in court and sent home with a self-help reading list and ordered to repay $13.

A 35-year-old Irishman who pleaded guilty to stealing two bottles of cheap wine was given a self-help reading list and some sound advice from a magistrate.

It wasn’t a $200 bottle of Johnnie Walker whisky that tripped up Irishman Graeme Whelan — just two bottles of cheap plonk and brief lapses in judgment captured on CCTV.

The 35-year-old father of three admitted to stealing two bottles of wine valued at $4 and $9 from First Choice Liquor in Cleveland, with both incidents recorded by store cameras.

Though the total value of the stolen goods was only $13, the court took the offences seriously while recognising the difficult circumstances behind them.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta noted that Whelan’s choice of cheap wine suggested desperation rather than dishonesty.

A qualified power station engineer, Whelan moved to Australia in 2019 with his Japanese wife and three young children.

The family has been under significant financial strain, including $25,000 in mortgage arrears, following periods of unemployment linked to project closures.

Despite these hardships, Whelan privately funded his own rehabilitation programs in 2022 and 2023 and completed an eight-week residential treatment earlier this year.

However, as a permanent resident, he was ineligible for bulk-billed GP appointments or free psychological care, limiting his access to essential mental health support.

Recognising these challenges, Magistrate Vasta encouraged Whelan to seek free financial advice through the Barefoot Investor, a financial expert who regularly contributes to the Sunday Mail.

She also told him to read solicitor David Gillespie’s self-help books, The Easy Way to Control Alcohol, Change Your Thinking, and Brain Reset, which she described as “really interesting” about the nature of addiction and the brain.

“You’ve got a casino in your pocket,” she warned, referring to the risk of unaddressed habits.

In the end, Whelan left the court with a reading list and no additional penalty beyond the order to repay the $13.

No conviction was recorded

Originally published as Book list and order to repay $13 after Irishman’s cheap wine theft